Calamagrostis meridensis (Luces) B. Briceno , Bot. Ecol. Monocot. Paramos Venezuela. 2: 590. 2010. Agrostis meridensis Luces, Bol. Soc. Venez. Ci. Nat. 15(80): 11. 1953.

Sylvester, Steven P., Soreng, Robert J., Bravo-Pedraza, William J., Cuta-Alarcon, Lia E., Giraldo-Canas, Diego, Aguilar-Cano, Jose & Peterson, Paul M., 2019, Paramo Calamagrostis s. l. (Poaceae): An updated list and key to the species known or likely to occur in paramos of NW South America and southern Central America including two new species, one new variety and five new records for Colombia, PhytoKeys 122, pp. 29-78 : 29

Calamagrostis meridensis (Luces) B. Briceno, Bot. Ecol. Monocot. Paramos Venezuela. 2: 590. 2010. Agrostis meridensis Luces, Bol. Soc. Venez. Ci. Nat. 15(80): 11. 1953.

Type.

VENEZUELA. Mérida: coleccionado en el bosque de la Laguna Negra, Páramo de Muchuchies, alt.: 3500 m, 25 Nov. 1943, Zoraida Luces de Febres 267 (holotype: VEN; isotype: MO (MO1086043! [image!]) fragm. ex VEN)

Comments.

Briceño (2010) proposed the new combination of Calamagrostis meridensis for a taxon endemic to páramos of Venezuela. Briceño (2010) transferred the species from Agrostis to Calamagrostis based on the upper glume having 2-3 veins and anatomical characters such as all vascular bundles having a double sheath and without a notably angular shape and short cells over the veins can be solitary, in pairs or in short series. However, the species habit is noted as long rhizomatous to stoloniferous with geniculate culms, a habit unknown in Calamagrostis or Deschampsia , which are tufted or very-short rhizomatous and tussock-forming. This taxon is most likely a species of Podagrostis (Griseb.) Scribn. & Merr. based on the small spikelets (2.6-3.8 mm long), palea subequal to the lemma, awn often lacking, a rachilla extension that is usually absent or, when present, very short and glabrescent, a callus glabrous or rarely with scarce short hairs and short anthers 0.7-1 mm long. The number of veins of the upper glume has been considered as a distinguishing character to differentiate Podagrostis from Calamagrostis (e.g. Rúgolo de Agrasar 2012) but the recent discovery of Podagrostis colombiana Sylvester & Soreng ( Sylvester et al. in press) from the Colombian Andes with well-developed lateral veins of the upper glume, large anthers and tussock-forming habit has shown these characters to be labile in Podagrostis .