Monographs Details:
Authority:
Maguire, Bassett. 1972. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part IX. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 23: 1-832.
Maguire, Bassett. 1972. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part IX. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 23: 1-832.
Family:
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae
Description:
Latin Diagnosis - E sectione Pluriflorae partis Haplostylearum] Rhynchosporae hirtae (Nees) Bockeler remote affinis est, tamen ab ea distincte recedit omnibus partibus gracilioribus, vaginis foliorum purpurascentibus, spiculis muito angustioribus, et nucibus apice dense setuloso-hispidis latere glabris semper unisetosis. Herba perennis gracilis, rhizomate breve tuberiforme fibris fulvis vestito, aliquando innovationem brevem lateralem extravaginalem emittente. Culmus solitarius, erectus, gracilis, 42-60 cm altus, medio 0.5-0.8 mm crassus, obtuse trigonus, glaber, laevis, capite unico terminatus, basi foliatus et conspicue tuberascenti-incrassatus 5-7 mm crassus fibris fulvo-brunneis rigidulis vestitus. Folia pluria, radicalia et summa tan turn partem basilarem culmi circumdans, cum dimidio culmi aequalia; laminae anguste lineares, plicatae, 15-30 cm longae, 0.8-1.7 mm latae, herbaceae, rigidulae, flavidovirides, ad apicem subacutum sensim attenuantes, margine utrinque pilis albis di-vergentibus subdense ciliatae, costa 1 subtus dense pilosa et convexa; vaginae pur-purascentes, ex toto pilis albis divergentibus paullo reflexis subdense pubescentes, vaginae foliorum radicalium 2-5 cm longae, ea folii culmi 10-14 cm longa; vaginae exteriores basilares subrigides, demum fulvescentes. Caput hemisphaericum vel turbi-natum, 10-15 mm in diametro, 6-7 mm altum, fulvum. Bracteae involucrantes glumi-formes, anguste ovatae usque ovato-lanceolatae, capitem aequans vel eo paullo breviores, dilute brunnescentes, subdense ciliatae margine pilis divergentibus, apice subacutae; bracteae 1 vel 2 aliquando elongatae, lineares, 9-27 mm longae, patentes vel demum deflexae, margine setuloso-scabrae, apice acuminatae. Spiculae multae, dense aggregatae, linearilanceolatae, 6-6.75 mm longae, 0.8-1 mm latae, stramineae vel sursum aureo-brunneo-tinctae, glabrae, 2- ad 4-florae, 1-nicugerae. Glumae sub-distiche dispositae; inferiores 3 vel 4 vacuae, lanceolato-ovatae vel lanceolatae, 1-2 mm longae; ea nucigera elliptico-lanceolata, 4.7-5 mm longa, 1-1.2 mm lata, tenuiter chartacea, straminea, apice acuta, graciliter 1-nervia; eae reliquae lineari-lanceolatae, 5.5-6.2 mm longae, ca 1 mm latae, tenuiter chartaceae, pallide brunneae, apice subacutae, 1-nerviae. Nuces obovato-oblongae, 1.7-2 mm longae, % mm latae, crasse concavo-convexae, flavescentes, minute pucticulatae, margine utrinque incurvae in-tegrae, apice subito contractae pilis subspinescentibus valde inaequalibus densiuscule setulosae; stylopodium elongato-deltoideum, 2/3-3/5 mm longum, basi 1/3 mm latum, glabrum; stylus capillaris, 7-9 mm longus, apice indivisus, Seta hypogyna unica tan turn elongata, 2.8-3.3 mm longa, rigidula, nucem superans, parte superiore ca 1/3 antrorsim scabra, infra medium laevis; setae aliae muito reductae. Stamina 3.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Known only by the type collection.
Latin Diagnosis - E sectione Pluriflorae partis Haplostylearum] Rhynchosporae hirtae (Nees) Bockeler remote affinis est, tamen ab ea distincte recedit omnibus partibus gracilioribus, vaginis foliorum purpurascentibus, spiculis muito angustioribus, et nucibus apice dense setuloso-hispidis latere glabris semper unisetosis. Herba perennis gracilis, rhizomate breve tuberiforme fibris fulvis vestito, aliquando innovationem brevem lateralem extravaginalem emittente. Culmus solitarius, erectus, gracilis, 42-60 cm altus, medio 0.5-0.8 mm crassus, obtuse trigonus, glaber, laevis, capite unico terminatus, basi foliatus et conspicue tuberascenti-incrassatus 5-7 mm crassus fibris fulvo-brunneis rigidulis vestitus. Folia pluria, radicalia et summa tan turn partem basilarem culmi circumdans, cum dimidio culmi aequalia; laminae anguste lineares, plicatae, 15-30 cm longae, 0.8-1.7 mm latae, herbaceae, rigidulae, flavidovirides, ad apicem subacutum sensim attenuantes, margine utrinque pilis albis di-vergentibus subdense ciliatae, costa 1 subtus dense pilosa et convexa; vaginae pur-purascentes, ex toto pilis albis divergentibus paullo reflexis subdense pubescentes, vaginae foliorum radicalium 2-5 cm longae, ea folii culmi 10-14 cm longa; vaginae exteriores basilares subrigides, demum fulvescentes. Caput hemisphaericum vel turbi-natum, 10-15 mm in diametro, 6-7 mm altum, fulvum. Bracteae involucrantes glumi-formes, anguste ovatae usque ovato-lanceolatae, capitem aequans vel eo paullo breviores, dilute brunnescentes, subdense ciliatae margine pilis divergentibus, apice subacutae; bracteae 1 vel 2 aliquando elongatae, lineares, 9-27 mm longae, patentes vel demum deflexae, margine setuloso-scabrae, apice acuminatae. Spiculae multae, dense aggregatae, linearilanceolatae, 6-6.75 mm longae, 0.8-1 mm latae, stramineae vel sursum aureo-brunneo-tinctae, glabrae, 2- ad 4-florae, 1-nicugerae. Glumae sub-distiche dispositae; inferiores 3 vel 4 vacuae, lanceolato-ovatae vel lanceolatae, 1-2 mm longae; ea nucigera elliptico-lanceolata, 4.7-5 mm longa, 1-1.2 mm lata, tenuiter chartacea, straminea, apice acuta, graciliter 1-nervia; eae reliquae lineari-lanceolatae, 5.5-6.2 mm longae, ca 1 mm latae, tenuiter chartaceae, pallide brunneae, apice subacutae, 1-nerviae. Nuces obovato-oblongae, 1.7-2 mm longae, % mm latae, crasse concavo-convexae, flavescentes, minute pucticulatae, margine utrinque incurvae in-tegrae, apice subito contractae pilis subspinescentibus valde inaequalibus densiuscule setulosae; stylopodium elongato-deltoideum, 2/3-3/5 mm longum, basi 1/3 mm latum, glabrum; stylus capillaris, 7-9 mm longus, apice indivisus, Seta hypogyna unica tan turn elongata, 2.8-3.3 mm longa, rigidula, nucem superans, parte superiore ca 1/3 antrorsim scabra, infra medium laevis; setae aliae muito reductae. Stamina 3.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Known only by the type collection.
Discussion:
Fig 15D-E.
Type. Bunting & Fernandez 3248 (NY, holotype; isotype in MAR) from “carretera Calabozo-Cazorla, 9 km al sudeste de Calabozo, en sabanas normales de la Estacion Biologica de los Llanos,” Guarico, Venezuela.
Rhynchospora unisetosa, a new species from Venezuelan Llanos, is a clear-cut species in the section Pluriflorae of the group Haplostylis. Although its only remote affinity with Brazilian R. hirta is seen in its incurved-margined achenes with non-plumose perianth bristles, the completely different habit and the fact that R. unisetosa always develops only a single stout bristle, as described above, make an easy segregation at once.