Rhynchospora capitellata

Brownish beaked-rush

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Brownish beaked-rush is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, and northern and central Sierra Nevada in wet meadows, fens, seeps, and marshes at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces brown to dark-brown flowers in lance-elliptic spikelets 3.5 to 4 millimeters long. Growing with distinctive three-angled stems that are bluntly textured and minutely scabrous near the inflorescence, it forms delicate clumps in wet habitats. Its narrow leaves are less than 3 millimeters wide, with margins becoming minutely rough toward the leaf tips. The fruit features 5 to 7 perianth bristles with reflexed barbs, culminating in a small 1 to 1.5 millimeter tubercle.

Habitat: Wet meadows, fens, seeps, marshes

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: < 2000 m

Bioregions: KR (Trinity Co.), NCoRO (Sonoma Co.), n&ampc SN

California counties: Butte, Sonoma, El Dorado, Nevada, Plumas, Trinity, Mariposa, Yuba, Tuolumne

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.