Carex pseudomitrata X. F. Jin & Cen, 2015

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 : 127

(7) Carex pseudomitrata X. F. Jin & Cen , sp. nov. ( Figure 6 : A–G)

Type:— CHINA. Yunnan Province: Lunan County, Stone Forest near Shilin, SE of Kunming, limestone karst, crevices of rocks, 24º49’N, 103º19’E, elevation 1760 m, 25 June 1993, B. Aldén, J. C. M. Alexander, D. G. Long, J. R. D. McBeath, H. J. Noltie & M. F. Watson (KEG) 1781 (holotype, E!).

Species nova Carici cylindriostachyi Franch. affinis est, a qua spicarum partibus florium staminatorum eis florium pistillatorum valde brevioribus, squamis pistillatis apice in aristas longas scabras gerentibus.

Perennial herbs. Rhizomes short, indurate. Culms 25–55 cm tall, 0.5–1 mm thick, trigonous, glabrous, smooth, with yellowish brown, persistent bladeless sheaths at base. Leaves shorter than culms, rarely equal in length; blades 1.5–3 mm wide, flat, scabrous on dorsal surfaces. Involucral bracts leaf-like, terminal 1 or 2 longer than inflorescence, lower bracts shorter, sheathed; sheaths 5–25 mm long, with the lowest longer than others. Spikes 4–6, androgynous, cylindrical, 10–30 mm long, 3–4 mm wide; terminal 2 or 3 spikes closed, others remote; peduncles slightly exerted from sheaths, or enclosed; staminate part shorter than pistillate part, 3–6 mm long, densely flowered, pistillate part 5–25 mm long, sparsely flowered. Staminate scales oblong-lanceolate, 4.5–5 mm long (including awn), pale yellowish brown, acuminate at apex, green 3-veined costa extending 0.5–1 mm long scabrous awn at apex. Pistillate scales narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 6.5–7 mm long (including awn), greenish white, acuminate at apex, green 3-veined costa extending 3–4 mm long scabrous awn at apex. Perigynia narrowly ellipsoid, trigonous (excluding beak), shorter than pistillate scales (including beak), 4–4.5 mm long, greenish yellow, membranaceous, whitish pubescence, conspicuously thinly veined, attenuate and stipitate at base, gradually contracted into a short beak at apex; orifice 2-lobed with short teeth, sparsely pubescent at margins. Achenes tightly enveloped, oblong-obovoid, trigonous, castaneous, ca. 2.2 mm long, abruptly attenuate and curved stipitate at base, shortly beaked at apex; style glabrous, thickened and curved at base; stigmas 3.

Note: —This new species is similar to Carex cylindriostachya Franch. in having 4–6 spikes, soft leaf blades, and oblong-obovoid-shaped achenes, but differs in having the staminate parts of spikes much shorter than the pistillate parts, and having pistillate scales that are long-awned at the apex. In contrast, C. cylindriostachya ’s staminate portion of the spikes are much longer than the pistillate parts, and the pistillate scales are acute at the apex.

Figures

FIGURE 6. A–G: Carex pseudomitrata X. F. Jin & Cen. (A) habit; (B) spike; (C) staminate scales; (D) staminate scales; (E) pistillate scale; (F) perigynium; (G) achene. (from B. Aldén & al. 1781 in E; drawn by Xiao-Feng Jin).