Carex siguanabae Jim.Mejías, Acedo, Reznicek & Lois, 2023

Lois, Raúl, Acedo, Carmen, Reznicek, Anton A. & Jiménez-Mejías, Pedro, 2023, Three newly described species of Carex sect. Fecundae (Cyperaceae) from Central America and typification of two related names, Phytotaxa 579 (2), pp. 71-86 : 75-78

Carex siguanabae Jim.Mejías, Acedo, Reznicek & Lois , sp. nov. ( Figs. 5–8 )

Diagnosis: —This new species is similar to Carex chordalis Liebm. (1850: 269) and to C. donnell-smithii L.H. Bailey (1889: 56) . Carex siguanabae is easily distinguished from C. chordalis by its glume color (purplish-black in C. siguanabae vs hyaline to light brown in C. chordalis ), and by its utricle enervation (nerves not evident in C. siguanabae vs clearly visible in C. chordalis ). In addition, C. siguanabae can be distinguished from C. donnell-smithii (under Chater’s (1994) concept) by its glume length (3.9–7.0 mm in C. siguanabae vs 3.1–3.4 mm in C. donnell-smithii ) and by the awned tip (1.0–2.0 mm in C. siguanabae vs 0.3–1.0(1.3) mm in C. donnell-smithii ).

Type: — EL SALVADOR: Department of Chalatenango: El Pital: Road between Río Chiquito and El Pital, cloud forest with Pinus spp. , wet road banks, 14.38146 N 89.129035 W, 2630 m, 29 September 2019, P . Jiménez-Mejías & G. E . Rodríguez Palacios 7ES-PJM19 (Holotype: UPOS! ( Figs. 5–7 ); isotype: MA!) .

Cespitose, rhizome covered with short yellowish to stramineous hairs. Stems 100–120 cm tall, 0.2–0.3 mm wide at the middle, smooth, trigonous, sides concave below the inflorescence, reddish to brown at the base. Leaves with well-developed blades, the largest ones ± 135 cm × 6.6–7.3 mm, equaling or exceeding the stems, linear, light reddishbrown at the base, W-folded, sheaths orangey-brownish. Inflorescence racemose, usually lax, 18–30 cm long, with 25–60 androgynous spikes, spreading; lowermost bract 15–20 cm × 4.9–7.9 mm, shorter than the inflorescence, soft, green to dark green, W-folded, sheathless or with a short sheath <3 mm. Spikes 4.8–6.7 cm × 3.8–5.2 mm, linear, the distal 1/4 segment staminate, with about 50– 90 female flowers, peduncles smooth, often much longer than the spikes. Female glumes 3.9–7.0 × 0.7–1.3 mm, lanceolate, purplish-black, long awned, awn 1.0–2.0 mm long, ciliate, with hyaline margins absent. Stigmas 3, brownish. Utricles 3.9–4.6 × 0.6–1.2 mm, elliptical, straight or slightly curved, greenish-brown, smooth, nerves not evident, contracted in the apex into a 1–1.8 mm long beak, smooth, bifid, the sinus half the length of the beak. Achenes 1.8–2.9 × 0.8–1.4 mm, ovate to elliptic, trigonous.

Habitat and distribution: —This species is distributed in the Central America Cordillera at the border between El Salvador and Honduras, although it may possibly inhabit Guatemala too. It occurs in montane forests, on river shores and open places (forest clearings or roadsides) between 1500 to 2500 m altitude.

Phenology: —Flowers and fruits were collected between the end of February and May.

Etymology: —The name Carex siguanabae refers to a local mythological creature well-known in Salvadoran folklore, “La Siguanaba”. It is represented as a long-haired woman with a terrifying face. The legend says that Siguanaba waits for men next to rivers and roads (both places where C. siguanabae grows), and then scares them to madness.

Observations:— Carex siguanabae can be easily identified by the morphology of its glumes. It has one of the longest glumes in the section Fecundae , up to 7 mm long. It is also different from all the other species of the section by its extremely long and ciliated awns.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— EL SALVADOR: Department of Santa Ana, National Park of Montecristo, La Cima de Miramundo , 14°24’N 89°21’W, 2420 m, 25 February, 2003 R.A. Carballo (MO-5898663!) ; Department of Chalatenango: Carretera de Río Chiquito a El Pital , 14.38146 N 89.129035 W, 2630 m, 29 September 2019, P. Jiménez-Mejías & G.E. Rodríguez-Palacios 3aES-PJM19 ( UPOS!) ; Department of Santa Ana: San José Ingenio , National Park of Montecristo , close to Miramundo summit, 14°25’N 89°21’W, primary forest, 2300 m, 23 April 2001, W. Berendsohn 1691 (MO-5896064!) ; HONDURAS: Sumpul river, waterfall El Salto , 14°21’N 89°5’W, gallery forest, river bank, 1910 m, 27 May 2008, D. Rodríquez, J. Monterrosa & S. Ventura 1274 (MO-6105790!) ; Jocotán, El Salto , 14.353710 N 89.080637 W, 1780 m, 29 September 2019, P. Jiménez-Mejías & G.E. RodríguezPalacios 3bES-PJM19 ( UPOS!) .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Holotype of Carex siguanabae Jim.Mejías, Acedo, Reznicek & Lois preserved at the Herbarium UPOS in the Pablo de Olavide University. Image reproduced with permission. Scale bar 2 cm.

FIGURE 6. Comparison of diagnostic traits of glumes and utricules of Carex siguanabae Jim.Mejías, Acedo, Reznicek & Lois and relatives. A–B. C. siguanabae (El Salvador, Jiménez-Mejías & Rodríguez Palacios 7ES-PJM19, UPOS, holotype). A, utricle, B, female glume C–D C. chordalis (Ecuador, Vargas, Neill & Freire 1665, MO5175630) C, utricle, D, female glume E–F C. donnell-smithii (Costa Rica, Davidse 1135, US3028947) E, utricle, F, female glume. Scale bar 1 mm (A–F).

FIGURE 7. Carex siguanabae Jim.Mejías,Acedo,Reznicek & Lois.Detail of the inflorescence (ElSalvador, Jiménez-Mejías & Rodríguez Palacios 7ES-PJM19, UPOS, holotype). Scale bar 1 cm.

FIGURE 8. Inflorescence of a specimen of Carex siguanabae Jim.Mejías, Acedo, Reznicek & Lois taken in El Pital (Department of Chalatenango, El Salvador), type locality of this new species.