- Scientific name: Rhynchospora scirpoides (Torr.) Griseb.
- Species of Greatest Conservation Need (MA State Wildlife Action Plan)
- Special Concern (MA Endangered Species Act)
Description
Long-beaked Beaksedge has terminal and axillary inflorescences with long, leafy bracts. Photo credit: Jennifer Garrett
Long-beaked beaksedge is a cespitose annual in the sedge family (Cyperaceae) that occurs on coastal plain pond shores in Massachusetts. The genus name Rhynchospora (“beaked seed”) refers to the tubercle (triangular projection) that is found at the summit of the achenes (one-seeded, dry, fruits). The species name scirpoides means “resembles a bulrush” (Scirpus), referring to the growth form and the shape of the spikes. Long-beaked beaksedge grows 20-80 cm (8-31 in) tall. It has both terminal and axillary inflorescences, with long, leafy bracts that exceed at least the axillary ones.
A technical manual and hand lens or microscope are needed for the identification of long-beaked beaksedge and other Rhynchospora species. This species is best identified with mature fruits. The achenes are orbicular to lenticular, red-brown to dark brown, with a faintly rugose (horizontally wrinkled) body. The achene is 1-3 mm (0.1 in) long, including a tall tubercle (0.5-0.9 mm) that is continuous with the ridged margin of the achene. The leaves are flat, narrow, 1-5 mm (0.02-0.04 in) wide, and have glabrous sheaths. The lower portion of the culm (flowering stem) is leafy.
Long-beaked beaksedge is distinct from other beaksedges (Rhynchospora spp., often referred to as beaked-rushes) in having a relatively long tubercle (beak). This species is very similar to short-beaked beaksedge (R. nitens), a Threatened species in Massachusetts that grows in the same habitats and may be found with long-beaked beaksedge. Short-beaked beaksedge has a shorter tubercle (0.1-0.3 mm tall) and distinctly rugose achenes with ridged margins that end abruptly at the tubercle. Long-beaked beaksedge also may be mistaken for the more common autumn fimbry (Fimbristylis autumnalis), an associated species that is smaller, thinner, and does not have a tubercle on the achene.
Achenes are faintly rugose, with long tubercles. Photo credit: Jennifer Garrett
Life cycle and behavior
This is an annual species.
Population status
Long-beaked beaksedge is listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act as special concern. All listed species are protected from killing, collecting, possessing, or sale, and from activities that would destroy habitat and thus directly or indirectly cause mortality or disrupt critical behaviors. Long-beaked beaksedge is currently known from Barnstable, Plymouth, and Middlesex counties, and an inland coastal plain pond shore in Hampden County. Curiously, this species has not been found in coastal plain pond habitats in Bristol, Dukes, or Nantucket counties.
Distribution and abundance
Long-beaked beaksedge occurs in the eastern coastal states from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island south to Florida, where it can be found year-round. Its range extends west in the southern coastal states to Texas; it is also found in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin. In New England, it is critically imperiled in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and vulnerable in Massachusetts.
Distribution in Massachusetts
1999-2024
Based on records in the Natural Heritage Database
Habitat
Long-beaked beaksedge is found in wet, peaty sands of gently sloping coastal pond shores and depressions with seasonal and annual water level fluctuations. This species can be found when pond levels are drawn down and the pond shore becomes exposed, often growing with a suite of annual sedges, grasses, and herbs characteristic of coastal plain ponds. Long-beaked beaksedge grows with several other rare species, including short-beaked beaksedge, Wright's rosette-grass (Dichanthelium wrightianum), and Plymouth gentian (Sabatia kennedyana). Associated species on the plant Watch List are annual umbrella-sedge (Fuirena pumila), black-fruited spike-sedge (Eleocharis melanocarpa), pink tickseed (Coreopsis rosea), and hyssop hedge-nettle (Stachys hyssopifolia). More common associates include other beaksedges (Rhynchospora spp.), spike-sedges (Eleocharis spp.), autumn fimbry, Canada bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis), warty panic-grass (Panicum verrucosum), white water-lily (Nymphaea odorata), yellow-eyed grass (Xyris difformis), and many other coastal plain pond shore species.
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Threats
Protection of natural hydrological conditions is critical for conservation of long-beaked beaksedge and other species restricted to coastal plain pond shore habitats. Changes in the hydrologic cycle as a result of climate change may negatively impact this and other coastal plain species (Staudinger et al.)
Conservation
Water withdrawals and residential development near coastal plain ponds should be limited to avoid disruptions to these sensitive ecosystems. Regular monitoring of known occurrences of rare pond shore species is important to identify threats to specific populations. Surveys should be conducted when water levels are low and pond shore habitat is exposed, as seeds survive in the seed bank and germinate on exposed substrate. Beach use and small boat launches should be located in areas that will not threaten known populations. Off-road vehicles and bicycles should be strictly prohibited on pond shores, and trails should be located along upper shorelines and shrub borders so that trampling of sensitive vegetation is avoided. Although invasive species monitoring is recommended, caution is needed with herbicide or other treatments to avoid damage to populations of rare species. All active management of state-listed plant populations (including invasive species removal) is subject to review under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act and should be planned in close consultation with the MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program.
References
Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 2002. Flora of North America North of Mexico, Vol. 23. Oxford University Press, NY.
Haines, A. 2011. Flora Novae Angliae – a Manual for the Identification of Native and Naturalized Higher Vascular Plants of New England. New England Wildflower Society, Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, CT.
NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer [web application]. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available https://explorer.natureserve.org/. Accessed: 5/27/2025.
NYNHP Conservation Guide - Long-beaked Beakrush (Rhynchospora scirpoides). New York Natural Heritage Program, Albany, NY.
POWO (2025). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; https://powo.science.kew.org/ Accessed: 5/27/2025.
Staudinger, M.D., A.V. Karmalkar, K. Terwilliger, K. Burgio, A. Lubeck, H. Higgins, T. Rice, T.L. Morelli, A. D'Amato. 2024. A regional synthesis of climate data to inform the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plans in the Northeast U.S. DOI Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center Cooperator Report. 406 p. https://doi.org/10.21429/t352-9q86
Contact
| Date published: | May 7, 2025 |
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