Fewflower Beaksedge

Rhynchospora rariflora

Found in wet pine savannas, seepage bogs in the fall-line Sandhills, bogs in the Piedmont and Mountains. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

39

Good

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height: Up to about 2 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Moist to wet

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At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: July to September

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 20 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Coastal Plain seepage bogs

Open, wet, seepage-fed bogs of the Coastal Plain and Sandhills, often with pitcher plants.

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Rhynchospora

Euphyes dukesiDukes' Skipper
Lethe appalachiaAppalachian Brown, Appalachian Eyed Brown
Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

4BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Rhynchospora

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

5BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Rhynchospora

Dendrocygna bicolorFulvous Whistling-Duck
Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Rallus elegansKing Rail
Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Cyperaceae
Flower color: Brown

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “July to September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Brown” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 2 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Elliot Beaksedge; Few Flower Beaksedge

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNR
Global rank	G5
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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