Please scroll to the bottom for more images.
Rhynchospora colorata (L.) H. Pfeiff.
Starrush whitetop

Rhynchospora colorata
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer

Family: Cyperaceae

Group: Monocot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Bermuda, Southeastern United States, the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Map of Florida Locations

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Secure

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images. See a 2019 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog on how this sedge changes throughout the day in order to attract insect pollinators.

Synonyms: Dichromena colorata.

Other data on Rhynchospora colorata available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Rhynchospora colorata has been found in the following 90 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Native
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Babcock Ranch Preserve Present Native
Bahia Honda State Park Present Native
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Big Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Native
Bill Sadowski Park Present Native
Biscayne National Park Reported
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Native
Camp Owaissa Bauer Present Native
Cayo Costa State Park Present Native
Cedar Point Environmental Park Present Native
Cholee Park Present Native
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Native
Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Present Native
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Native
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Native
Delray Oaks Natural Area Present Native
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Possibly Extirpated Possibly Extirpated
Dupuis Reserve Present Native
Estero Bay Preserve State Park Present Native
Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Everglades National Park Present Native
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Native
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Native
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Fred C. Babcock-Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Native
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Present Native
Gold Coast Railroad Museum Present Native
Greynolds Park Present Native
Hawk's Hammock Park Present Native
Highland Oaks Park Present Native
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Native
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Holiday Hammock Present Native
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area Present Native
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Reported
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Native
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Native
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park Present Native
Koreshan State Historic Site Present Native
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Native
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Present Native
Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area Present Native
Lucille Hammock Present Native
Luis Martinez United States Army Reserve Station, Richmond Pine Rocklands Present Native
Matheson Hammock Park Present Native
Middle Torch Hammocks Parcel 3063, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Milton E. Thompson Park Present Native
National Key Deer Refuge Present Native
Nicodemus Slough Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Native
Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area - FWC, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Okeeheelee Park Present Native
Oleta River State Park Present Native
Pal-Mar Present Native
Pal-Mar Natural Area Present Native
Picayune Strand State Forest Present Native
Pond Apple Slough Natural Area Present Native
Prairie Pines Preserve Present Native
Quail Roost Pineland Possibly Extirpated Possibly Extirpated
Railhead Scrub Preserve Present Native
Riverbend Park Present Native
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Native
Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area Present Native
San Carlos Bay - Bunche Beach Preserve Present Native
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Native
Scrub Oak Park Present Native
Secret Woods Nature Center Present Native
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Present Native
SOCSOUTH Present Native
South Dade Wetlands Present Native
Southern Glades Present Native
Tall Cypress Natural Area Present Native
Tamiami Pineland Complex Addition Present Native
Tradewinds Park & Stables Present Native
Trail Glades Range Present Native
Tree Island Park Present Native
Tree Tops Park Present Native
Tropical Park Present Native
Warbler Wetland Natural Area Present Native
Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Present Native
Woodmont Natural Area Present Native
Yamato Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Yellow Fever Creek Preserve Present Native

Rhynchospora colorata has been found in the following 11 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Native
Charlotte County Native
Collier County Native
Glades County Native
Hendry County Native
Lee County Native
Martin County Native
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Native
Monroe County (Mainland) Native
Palm Beach County Native

Rhynchospora colorata has been found in the following 18 habitats :
Alluvial Forest
Basin Marsh
Coastal Grassland
Coastal Interdunal Swale
Depression Marsh
Disturbed Upland
Disturbed Wetland
Dome Swamp
Floodplain Marsh
Marl Prairie
Mesic Flatwoods
Pine Rockland
Salt Marsh
Shell Mound
Sinkhole
Swale
Wet Flatwoods
Wet Prairie

All Images:

Rhynchospora colorata
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Rhynchospora colorata
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Rhynchospora colorata
Copyright by: Shirley Denton