About Rhynchospora miliacea (Lam.) A.Gray
Rhynchospora miliacea, formally named Rhynchospora miliacea (Lam.) A.Gray, grows in clumps that reach up to 150 centimeters in height, and spreads via slender, stolon-like rhizomes. Its stems are soft, slender, and somewhat wand-shaped; they are round to slightly angled, and leafy along their entire length. The leaves are ascending and flat, measuring 4–10 mm wide, and taper to a short, three-angled point. These leaves are usually shorter than the plant’s flowering stems. The inflorescence is made up of 4 to 6 or more spikelet clusters spaced evenly along the stem, with each cluster carried on an ascending stalk. The clusters themselves are loose, open, and rounded, bearing thin, spreading branches. Spikelets are light brown, 2.5–3.5 mm long, and shaped like ellipsoids, lances, or eggs. Each spikelet holds ovate fertile scales that are 2–3 mm long. The flowers have six barbed bristles that typically extend past the small, flattened tubercle at the top of the fruit. Each spikelet produces 2 or more fruits, which are pale brown, broadly rounded, and slightly flattened on both sides. The fruit surface is marked by sharp, wavy ridges and shallow, rectangular pits. The tubercle on the fruit is small, depressed-conical, and edged with tiny bristles. This species is distributed across the southeastern United States and the West Indies. Within the United States, its range extends from southeastern Virginia south to South Florida, and west to East Texas. It grows in swamp forests, including maritime swamp forests.
