Rhynchospora panduranganii Viji, Shaju & Geethakum. (2014: 9519)

Deepu, S. & Thomas, William Wayt, 2019, A reinvestigation on the taxonomic identity of Rhynchospora panduranganii (Cyperaceae), Phytotaxa 387 (3), pp. 249-254 : 249

Rhynchospora panduranganii Viji, Shaju & Geethakum. (2014: 9519) .

= R. corymbosa var. panduranganii (Viji, Shaju & Geethakum.) Sang. Dey & Prasanna (2015: 38) syn nov.

Type:— India, Kerala, Wayanad Distr., Tirunelli , 11° 54’ 35.3” N, 75° 59’ 09.4” E, 18 October 2011, A. R. Viji & M. P. Geethakumary 71033 (holotype TBGT!; isotypes CALI!, MH!)

Perennial herb. Rhizomes 1–2 cm long, 2–2.5 cm wide; roots spongy. Culms 1–4 per plant, 50–230 × 0.5–1 cm at mid height, striate, trigonous to triquetrous, distally scaberulous on the angles, the bases surrounded by firm, pale brown, old leaf sheaths. Leaves basal and cauline, 4–7 per culm; sheaths 4–10 cm long, pale brown on distal leaves; contraligule truncate; blades 35–180 × 0.7–1.5 cm, green, flat, rigid, gradually narrowed towards apex, scaberulous along margin towards apex and along the midrib beneath. Inflorescence comprising a terminal and 2–3 axillary synflorescences; terminal synflorescence a condensed raceme of 8–20 clusters of fascicles of spikelets, appearing umbellate, 8–15 × 4–6 cm, the peduncles 6–10 cm long with a sheathing prophyll c. 4 mm long at the base, the basal 4 clusters subtended by foliar bracts; foliar bracts 10–15 cm long, patent, sheathless, distally scabrid, the base dilated; distal bracts scalelike, c. 3 cm long; axillary inflorescences with 6–13 spikelet clusters, 3–6 × 2–4 cm, peduncles 2–4 cm long; spikelets 6–52 per cluster, linear-lanceoloid, 6–8 × 1–2.3 mm, 1–2 flowered; pedicels 0.8–1 mm long; glumes spirally imbricate, 4–6 per spikelet, keeled, uninerved, hyaline, deep brown; basal sterile glumes 2–3, ovate-oblong, 2.5–3 × 1.5–2 mm; glumes subtending perfect flowers 2, broadly ovate, 6–7 × 3–4 mm, shortly mucronate; glume subtending staminate flower 1 or 2, linear-elliptic, 3–4 × 1.5–2.3 mm. Perianth bristles 6, persistent, 3–5 mm long, reaching almost half of the stylopodium, slender, antrorsely scabrid. Stamens 3, 2.5–3 mm long, the anthers linear, 1.5–2 mm long, apex with acute crest, filaments c. 1 mm long. Ovary obovoid, c. 1 mm long; style 5–5.3 mm long, base dilated; stigma undivided or shortly bilobed at apex. Achenes obovoid, 3.2–3.5 × 1.8–2.5 mm, strongly dorsiventrally compressed, irregularly rugose, deep brown, epidermal cells minute, isodiametric, apex obtuse, margins bordered by a prominent brown line; stylopodium conical, 4–4.5 × 1–1.5 mm, compressed, prominently grooved on both sides, smooth, apex obtuse to acute, scabrid.