''Rhynchospora rariflora'', commonly called fewflower beaksedge, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

in the sedge family (

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus '' Carex'' ...

). It is native to North America, where it is found in the southeastern United States, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the West Indies. Its typical natural habitat is sandy or peaty areas, in wet savannas, seeps, and bogs. ''Rhynchospora rariflora'' is a densely tufted perennial with delicate, lax stems. Its leaves are nearly thread-like. Its inflorescence is loose and sparsely flowered. In the northern area of its range it fruits from late spring to summer, while in the southern area it is reproductive year-round. It is similar to ''

Rhynchospora stenophylla ''Rhynchospora'' (beak-rush or beak-sedge) is a genus of about 400 species of sedges with a cosmopolitan distribution. The genus includes both annual and perennial species, mostly with erect 3-sided stems and 3-ranked leaves. The achenes bear a ...

'', from which ''Rhynchospora rariflora'' can be distinguished by having bristles that are shorter than the achene body, and by its smaller tubercle.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15556236 rariflora Flora of North America