Carex tingnungii X. F. Jin, 2015

Jin, Xiao-Feng, Chen, Wei-Jie & Cen, Jia-Meng, 2015, Notes on Carex (Cyperaceae) from China (III): the description of four new species, Phytotaxa 231 (2), pp. 165-174 : 172

4. Carex tingnungii X. F. Jin , sp. nov. ( Figure 4 )

Haec species Carici plectobasi V. I. Krecz. affinis est, a qua spica staminata solitaria, floribus pistillatis ex ejus basi exeuntibus, acheniis oblongo-ellipsoideis, stylis dense crispeque pubescentibus differt.

Type: — CHINA. Qinghai Province: Yushu County, Jiangxi Gou, E of Jiangxi Forest Station on E side of the Zi Qu, Valley with Picea likiangensis forest and Juniperus scrub, 32º4’N, 97º2’E, elevation 3620 m, 28 August 1996, T. N. Ho, B. Bartholomew, M. Watson & G. Gilbert 2561 (holotype, E!; isotype, BM! & TI!).

Perennial herbs. Rhizomes indurate, obliquely ascending. Culms 20–50 cm tall, trigonous, slender, glabrous, smooth, with many grayish brown fibrous sheaths at base. Leaves shorter than culms; blades 1–1.5 mm wide, slightly revolute, scabrous at margins. Involucral bracts leaflike or setaceous, nearly equaling the inflorescence, sheathing; sheaths 4–20 mm long, with the lowest longer than others. Spikes 2–4; terminal spike staminate, with 1–4 pistillate flowers at base, clavate-cylindrical, 7–12 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide, with ca. 1 cm long peduncle; lateral spikes pistillate, shortly cylindrical, 5–15 mm long, 3–5 mm wide, densely flowered. Staminate scales ovate-lanceolate, 4.5–5 mm long, brown, white-hyaline at margin, acuminate at apex, with costa yellowish brown, 1-veined. Pistillate scales ovate, 3–3.5 mm long, pale reddish brown, white-hyaline at margin, acuminate at apex, with costa yellowish brown, 3-veined, sometimes with short excurrent awn; costa sometimes sparsely hispidulous. Perigynia ovoid-lanceolate, compressed trigonous (excluding beak), longer than pistillate scales (including beak), 4.5–6 mm long, greenish yellow, membranaceous, densely whitish hispidulous, 4 or 5-veined dorsally, gradually attenuate and short-stipitate at base, gradually contracted into a ca. 1 mm long beak at apex; orifice 2 lobed with short teeth, sparsely hispidulous at margin. Achenes loosely enveloped, oblong-ellipsoid, trigonous, pale yellow, ca. 3.5 mm long; styles slender, not thickened, densely crisped pilose; stigmas 3.

Distribution and Habitat: —Endemic to China. The new species is known from Yushu County of Qinghai Province and Baxoi County of Tibet. It grows in forests or on slopes at 3620–4300 m elevation.

Phenology: —Flowers and fruits of Carex tingnungii were collected from late July to late August.

Etymology: —The species is named in honor of Professor Ting-Nung Ho (Ting-Nong He; 1938–2011), who devoted her professional life to the taxonomic study of Gentianaceae .

Additional collections (paratypes): — CHINA. Tibet (Xizang Province): Baxoi County, SE of the village of Bangda to Zogang, on slope, 30º10’16’’N, 97º20’01’’E, elevation 4100–4300 m, 23 July 2000, D. E. Boufford, S. L. Kelley, R. H. Ree & S. K. Wu 29639 (TI!).

Similar species: — Carex tingnungii belongs to C. subsect. Ferrugineae Tuckerman (in Kükental 1909: 559), characterized by having perigynia hispidulous, spikes reddish brown when dried. It is similar to Carex plectobasis V. I. Kreczetowicz (1946: 192) in having perigynia hispidulous, compressed trigonous and leaves slightly revolute, but differs in having staminate spike solitary, with 1–4 pistillate flowers at base, achenes oblong-ellipsoid and styles densely crisped pilose. In constrast, Carex plectobasis has 3 or 4 staminate spikes, oblong-obovoid achenes, and scabrous styles.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Carex tingnungii X. F. Jin, sp. nov. (A) habit; (B) staminate scale; (C) pistillate scale; (E) perigynium, ventral view; (F) perigynium dorsal view; (G) achene (drawn by Xiao-Feng Jin from holotype in E).