Bisboeckelera vinacea Standl.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1967. The botany of the Guayana Highland--Part VII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 17: 1-439.

  • Family

    Cyperaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Bisboeckelera vinacea Standl.

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizome stoloniferous; stolons elongate, covered with partially overlapping reddish-purplish scales. Leaves lanceolate (17-) 30-60 cm long, 11-25 mm wide, flat, 3-costate, colored with reddish-purplish beneath, acute to subabruptly acute at apex, gradually tapering at base to purplish petiole 6-15 cm long; sheaths dilated, reddish-purple, puberulent with short more or less tubercle-based hairs. Culm central, solitary to a clump, shorter than leaves, sharply triquetrous, smoothish. Inflorescence a head with 4-7 spikes, up to 3 cm diam, sometimes parted with rays up to 3 cm long; involucral bracts 3-4, not sheathing, the longest leafy, up to 9 cm long and 15 mm wide. Spikes oblong 10-15 mm long, 10 mm thick. Spikelets densely spicate; glumes 3, 1 front narrowly ovate, 2 laterals lanceolate, keeled, 3.5 mm long, subtending a staminate partial spikelet slightly shorter than the perigynium. Perigynium ovate, 4.7-5 mm long, 1.8 - 2 mm wide, obtusely trigonous, membranaceous, faintly many-veined, puberulent, contracted at base, abruptly tapering above to a slender beak about 2 mm long, the orifice hyaline, obscurely toothed. Achenes tightly enveloped, obovate-elliptic, 2 mm long, 1.6 mm wide, obtusely trigonous with convex sides, contracted at both ends, the annule depressed; style slender, 2 mm long; stigmas 3.

  • Discussion

    Bisboeckelera irrigua O. Kuntze var laevinux H. Pfeiffer, Repert. Sp. Nov. 42 : 255. 1937

    Type. Dagua valley, Pacific Coastal Zone. Cauca, Colombia, H. Pittier 583 (holotype US).

    Bisboekelera vinacea is, as mentioned by Standley, closely related to B. irrigua differing by the achenes with convex shiny sides and obtuse angles vs flat dull sides and ridged angles and the larger head with 4 to 7 vs 3 or 4 spikes. There are other distinguishing characters: in B. vinacea several elongate stolons always develop, inflorescences are sometimes rayed, and every vegetative part appears to be definitely larger than that of B. irrigua. The close resemblance between the two species suggests that they have evolved from the same ancestor even though geographically separated for a long time.