Carex radicalis Boott (1858: 56)

Jin, Xiao-Feng, Cen, Jia-Meng, Hahn, Marlene, Lu, Yi-Fei & He, Jin-Jing, 2015, Notes on Carex (Cyperaceae) from China (II): a taxonomic revision of sect. Radicales (Kük.) Nelmes, Phytotaxa 217 (2), pp. 117-132 : 129

(9) Carex radicalis Boott (1858: 56) . Type:— SIKKIM. Regirlemp , 2 Aug 1849, J. D. Hooker s. n. (holotype, K!; isotype, BM!) ( Figure 3 : F–K) .

Carex chuana F. T. Wang & Tang ex P. C. Li (in Li 1999: 167), as ‘ chuiana ’. Type:— CHINA. Sichuan: Yanbian, Taining , 3 Aug 1940, K. L. Chü 7490 (holotype, PE!; isotype, PE!).

Perennial herbs. Rhizomes short. Culms densely caespitose, 10–25 cm tall, ca. 1 mm thick, slender, trigonous, scabrous, with persistent sheaths at base. Leaves longer than culms, flat, blades 2–3 mm wide. Involucral bracts leaf-like, longer than subtending spikes, sheathed at base. Spike single, rarely 2, androgynous, ovoid, 5–8 mm long, 4–6 mm wide, sometimes a lateral spike extended from base of culms, long pedunculate; staminate part of spike shorter than pistillate part, densely flowered; pistillate part 3- or 4-flowered. Staminate scales ovate, 2–3 mm long, pale green, obtuse at apex, green 1-veined costa. Pistillate scales greenish white, broadly ovate, 1.8–3 mm long, acute and shortly awned at apex, green 3-veined costa. Perigynia longer than pistillate scales, green, obliquely patent, obovoid, trigonous, 4–6 mm, densely pubescent, distinctly 2-veined laterally and thinly veined, shortly stipitate at base, abruptly contracted into a short beak at apex; orifice 2-lobed short teeth. Achenes yellowish green, obovoid, trigonous, 2.2–2.8 mm, stipitate at base; style thickened at base, conic, sparsely pubescent; stigmas 3.

Additional specimens examined:— CHINA. Sichuan: Baoxing , Muping, Z. P. Soong 98109 (KUN). Xiaojin, Lianghe, Z. G. Liu 438 (KUN). Yanyuan, Bailing, Qinghai-Tibet Exped. 12649 (PE) . Yunnan: Dali, Mount. Cang, Alpine Garden Society Exped. China 919 (E, K). Deqin, Mount. Wufeng, Royal Bot. Gard. Edinburgh Exped. Dêqên 42 (E). Zhongdian, Chungjianghe valley , B. Aldén & al. 1497 (E) ; Xiaozhongdian, Qinghai-Tibet Exped. 62 (PE), 74 (PE), 1186 (PE).

Note:— This species is similar to Carex delavayi ; they both have ovoid spikes and lower pistillate scales that are awned at the apex, but the staminate part of the spikes in C. radicalis are inconspicuous and shorter than the pistillate part of the spikes, and the styles sparsely pubescent.

Li (1994: 2376) recognized and identified the specimens from Hengduan Mountains as Carex radicalis , and later she described the specimens from Taining of Sichuan as a new species, C. chuiana ( Li, 1999) . Carex chuana differed from C. radicalis by the staminate part of spike being inconspicuous, green pistillate scales that were awned at the apex, green perigynia, and sparsely pubescent styles ( Li, 1999). The holotype and isotype of Carex radicalis were carefully checked by the authors. In these specimens, the staminate part of spike was inconspicuous and far shorter than pistillate part, the pistillate scales were greenish-brown and shortly awned at the apex, the perigynia were greenish brown, and the styles were sparsely pubescent. Consequently, Carex chuana is reduced to a synonymy of C. radicalis .

Figures

FIGURE 3.A–E: Carex chlorocephalula F.T.Wang & Tang ex P.C. Li. (A) habit; (B) staminate scales; (C) pistillate scale; (D) perigynium; (E) achene. F–K: Carex radicalis Boott. (F) habit; (G) spike; (H) staminate scales; (I) pistillate scale; (J) perigynium; (K) achene. L, M: Carex delavayi Franch. (L) spike; (M) perigynium. (A–E drawn from M. Chen 2836 in PE, F–K from J. D. Hooker s. n. in BM, L, M from J. M. Delavay 1739 in P; drawn by Xiao-Feng Jin).