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 beak-like tubercule (hence the name “beak-rush”, although the plants are sedges, not rushes) and are sometimes subtended by bristles. Many of the species are similar in vegetative appearance, and mature fruits are needed to make a positive identification.

The inflorescences (spikelets) are sometimes subtended by bracts which can be leaf-like or showy.

Members of this genus have holocentric chromosomes and have become a model for the study of chromosome evolution and meiotic recombination in holocentric plants. The genomes of Rhynchospora pubera, R. breviuscula, and R. tenuis have been published in 2022.

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