Luzula denticulata Liebm.

  • Authority

    Balslev, Henrik. 1996. Juncaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 68: 1-167. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Juncaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Luzula denticulata Liebm.

  • Type

    Type. Mexico. Veracruz: Mt. Orizaba, Vaquería del Jacal, 3050 m, Sep 1841, Liebmann s.n. (holotype, C!, photo, BH!; isotypes, C!, G!, GH!, HAL!, K!, P!, S!, UPS!, photo, AAU!).

  • Synonyms

    Luzula laetevirens Liebm., Luzula latifolia Liebm., Luzula parviflora var. denticulata (Liebm.) Buchenau, Luzula gigantea var. vulcanica Woodson

  • Description

    Species Description - Perennial herbs, 15-90 cm high. Rhizome ascending, 1-2 mm diam., often giving rise to ascending runners which terminate in a leaf rosette. Culms erect, terete, 0.8-3 mm diam. Basal leaves 3-15 in a rosette; sheaths short; blades erect or bending away from the culm, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 5-25 x 0.8-1.2 cm, flat, margin pilose. Cauline leaves 3-8 to each culm, resembling basal ones but the sheath up to 7 cm long and the blade shorter and erect, distal ones progressively shorter. Inflorescence a terminal, loose, much-branched, nodding, anthelately arranged panicle, 5-20 x 310 cm; rachis segments very short, <1 cm; the flowers inserted on elongate, distinct pedicels. Basal bract of the inflorescence linear, herbaceous, to 6 cm long. Bracteoles and distal bracts in the inflorescence linear to lanceolate, scariose; margin entire or divided into ciliate lobes. Tepals equal or outer ones slightly longer, 1.7-2.5 mm, light brown to dark, castaneous, outer tepals concave, inner tepals flat or slightly concave. Stamens 6, 0.8-1.5 mm long; anthers oblong, 0.4-0.8 mm long, equal to or longer than the filaments. Capsule broadly ellipsoid to suborbicular, short apiculate, trigonous to trilobed, 1.5-1.7 x 1.2-1.7 mm, light green, becoming dark brown and glossy when ripe. Seeds ellipsoid to obliquely oblong, broad apiculate, 1-1.3 x 0.6-0.8 mm, smooth to rugose, castaneous below a hyaline white outer seed coat.

  • Discussion

    Luzula denticulata is most easily recognised by the combination of having the flowers inserted individually and not congested into heads or flower clusters, and in not having the inflorescence divided in subequal parts separated by long rachis segments. All primary branches of the inflorescence arise at the end of the culm, not along the culm and 5-15 cm apart as in L. gigantea. These two species are geographically separated by the Panamanian isthmus. Luzula denticulata belongs to the circumboreal L. parviflora-complex, and L. gigantea is most closely related to the Asian L. effusa. The two species have previously been confused. Buchenau (1906) and Hamet-Ahti (1971) placed L. denticulata in synonymy of L. gigantea.

  • Distribution

    Luzula denticulata is distributed from central Mexico to Panama, where it has been collected at elevations of 2000-3900 m but most commonly above 3000 m.

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