Carex brevihispida X.F.Jin & Y.F.Lu, 2022

Lu, Yi-Fei & Jin, Xiao-Feng, 2022, Notes on Carex (Cyperaceae) from China (VIII): five new species and a new variety from southern and south-western China, PhytoKeys 188, pp. 31-47 : 31

1. Carex brevihispida X.F.Jin & Y.F.Lu sp. nov.

Figure 1A-G

Latin diagnosis.

Haec species est affinis C. kwangsiensi F.T. Wang & Tang ex P.C. Li, a qua foliis caulinis, bracteis et pedunculis secundariis omnibus dense brevi-hispidis, squamis pistillatis 3-3.5 mm longis, dorso sparse pubescentibus vel subglabris differt.

Type.

China. Guangxi: Baise, Youjiang Dist., Daleng , Mount Dawangling , 23°44'29.95"N, 106°23'28.85"E, by stream under forest, alt. 770 m, 26 Apr 2019, X.F. Jin, W.J. Chen, X. Cai & Y.L. Xu 4408 (holotype: ZM; isotypes: ZJFC, ZM) .

Rhizomes woody, thick, moniliform, creeping or obliquely ascending. Culms pseudo-lateral, 40-65 cm tall, ca. 2 mm thick, trigonous, base with grey-brown sheath. Leaves basal and cauline; basal leaves longer than or almost equal to culms, several ones forming a high shoot, blades flat or slightly revolute at margin, 5-7.5 mm wide, adaxially glabrous, abaxially glabrous or densely short-hispidulous along mid-ribs, scabrous on both surfaces and margins; cauline leaves spathe-like, lower ones rarely shortly leaf-like, purple-red when fresh, pale red-brown when dried, densely short-hispidulous. Bracts spathe-like, densely short-hispidulous. Panicle compound; inflorescence branches corymbose, single or binate, 3-5 cm long, 1.5-4.5 cm wide, with 2-5 spikes, rarely solitary; peduncles of inflorescence branches slender, densely short-hispidulous, exserted from bract sheath; inflorescence axes acutely trigonous, densely short-hispidulous; bractlets scale-like, lanceolate, 3-5 mm long, apex obtuse, glabrous, purple-red spotted; cladoprophylls utriculiform, ca. 2.5 mm long, distinctly thinly veined, orifice obliquely truncate. Spikes exserted from cladoprophylls, obliquely or horizontally patent, androgynous, 1-4.5 cm long, staminate part clavate or oblong, densely flowered, longer than or almost equal to pistillate part, pistillate part sparsely 1-8-flowered. Staminate glumes narrowly ovate-elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, yellow-brown or brown, 3-4.5 mm long, apex acuminate or obtuse, upper margin ciliate, with yellow 3-veined costa. Pistillate glumes ovate or elliptic-ovate, yellow-brown, 3-3.5 mm long, apex obtuse, upper margin ciliate, abaxially sparsely pubescent or glabrous, with yellow 3-veined costa. Utricles brown-green, ovoid, obtusely trigonous, 2.5-3 mm long, obliquely patent, densely purple-red papillose, distinctly thinly veined, sparsely pubescent along veins, base with 0.2-0.3 mm long stipe, apex gradually contracted into a ca. 0.7 mm long beak, orifice obliquely truncate. Nutlets tightly enveloped, grey-brown, ovoid, trigonous, 1.7-2 mm long, base with ca. 0.3 mm long stipe; style base slightly thickened; stigmas 3.

Etymology.

The specific epithet ‘brevihispida’ refers to the culms, inflorescence bracts and peduncles of inflorescence branches that are all densely short-hispidulous.

Phenology.

Flowering and fruiting is from late March to late April.

Additional specimens examined.

China. Guangxi: Baise, Youjiang Dist., Daleng , Mount Dawangling , 23°44'29.95"N, 106°23'28.85"E, by stream under forest, alt. 770 m, 26 Apr 2019, X.F. Jin, W.J. Chen, X. Cai & Y.L. Xu 4406 (ZM); the same locality, on cliff under forest, alt. 774 m, 26 Apr 2019, X.F. Jin, W.J. Chen, X. Cai & Y.L. Xu 4399 (ZJFC, ZM) .

Conservation status.

Near threatened (NT). The new species is currently known from the type locality, Mount Dawangling and grows by stream under forest. Tourists in the scenic region may interfere with the new species ( IUCN 2019).

Notes.

The new species, Carex brevihispida , has spathe-like cauline leaves and bracts and lateral culms, which morphologically belongs to sect. Surculosae in subg. Surculosae Vigneastra ( Dai et al. 2010). Recent phylogenetic hypotheses revealed the Siderostictae clade includes all species traditionally placed in sections Siderostictae , Hemiscaposae and Surculosae ( Yano et al. 2014; Martín-Bravo et al. 2019; Villaverde et al. 2020; Roalson et al. 2021). It is morphologically similar to Carex kwangsiensis , but differs in having cauline leaves, bracts and secondary peduncles all densely short-hispidulous, pistillate glumes 3-3.5 mm long, dorsally sparsely pubescent or nearly glabrous. In Carex kwangsiensis , the cauline leaves, the bracts and the secondary peduncles are pubescent and the pistillate glumes are 2-2.5 mm long and dorsally pubescent.

Figures

Figure 1. Carex brevihispida sp. nov. A habit B part of culm C cladoprophyll D staminate glume E pistillate glume F utricle G nutlet (Drawn by Xiao-Feng Jin; based on holotype: Xiao-Feng Jin et al. 4408 in ZM).