FNPS Plant Database

Rhynchospora latifolia

giant whitetop, sandswamp whitetop
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

giant whitetop, sandswamp whitetop

Synonym(s):

Dichromena latifolia

Genus species:

Rhynchospora latifolia

Family:

Cyperaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

grass

Size:

1.5-2.5 ft tall by 1.5-2 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

NA

Phenology:

Fall-winter dormant. Blooms in spring.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wetland garden or informal savanna.

Considerations:

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Seed, division.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Organic

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Attracts bees and butterflies

Native Habitats:

Savannas, wet prairies.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This is a sedge. Most Rhynchospora species are wind pollinated. The white bracts of this species attract insects.

Citations:

Salt: https://ecoscapes.bugwood.org/plant.cfm?code=RHLA7 Insects: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=rhco7 https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rhynchospora-colorata/

Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu /).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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