Fuirena umbellata Rottb., Descr. Icon. Rar. Pl. 70, t. 19, f. 3. 1773.

Bhandari, Prabin, Chaudhary, Satyam, Neupane, Ajay, Zhou, Shi-Liang & Zhang, Shu-Ren, 2021, Taxonomic notes on Cyperaceae of Nepal: new records of a genus, six species and other noteworthy species, PhytoKeys 180, pp. 141-156 : 141

Fuirena umbellata Rottb., Descr. Icon. Rar. Pl. 70, t. 19, f. 3. 1773.

Type.

Suriname, D. Rolander s.n. (lectotype, designated by De Moraes 2012, pg. 65: SBT 1.3.1.47, image!) .

Description.

Perennial rhizomatous herbs. Culm solitary, lowermost node swollen, 120 cm tall, acutely 5-angled, glabrous to puberulous. Leaves linear-lanceolate, 13-17 × 1.5-1.7 mm, 5-veined, apex acuminate, margin ciliate; ligule brownish, hyaline, truncate. Lower involucral bracts leaf-like, 2-10 cm long, sheath densely pubescent; upper bracts much shorter, not or hardly sheathing. Inflorescence with 8-14 glomerulate clusters of spikelets; glomerulate bearing 6-30 spikelets arising from a white villous pedicle. Spikelets greenish-brown, ovoid-ellipsoid, 4-7.5 × 2-3 mm. Glumes 2-2.5 × 1.5 mm, ellipsoid to oblong, membranous, blackish to brownish tinged, abaxially pilose towards the emarginated apex, 3-veined costa ending in a short puberulent, 0.7-1 mm awn. Perianth segments 6 in two whorls; outer 3, needle-like, whitish, apically scabrous, as long as or shorter than the stalk of inner bristles; inner bristles 3, obovoid to oblong, whitish to brownish, 1-1.5 × 0.5-0.7 mm, membranous, margin ciliate, apically densely ciliate, base gradually narrowed down into a twisted 0.5 mm stalk, apex emarginate, veins 3, ending in a short recurved awn. Stamens 3, 2.5 mm long. Anthers oblong, 0.8-1 mm long. Style 1 mm long. Stigmas 3, 1 mm long, plumose. Achene brown, ellipsoid to obovoid, 3-sided, 0.8 × 0.7-1 mm (including stipitate base), apex with a 3 mm punctate conical whitish beak. (Fig. 2G ).

Distribution.

Nepal and pantropical.

Ecology.

Grows in marshy areas; 70-149 m elev.

Phenology.

Flowering and fruiting in January-March.

Specimens examined.

Nepal, Jhapa : Kachankawal RM, Aambari Road, Thulo Kechana, 26°25'36.56"N, 87°59'15.75"E, 70 m elev., 05 Feb 2021, P. Bhandari, A. Neupane & S. Chaudhary 21020504 (KATH, TUCH); Jhapa: Salbadi, 26°40'26.75"N, 88°0'51.90"E, 149 m elev., 05 Feb 2021, P. Bhandari, A. Neupane & S. Chaudhary 21020503 (KATH) .

Note.

Published literature of Nepalese flora ( Koyama 1978; Press et al. 2000; Rajbhandari and Baral 2010; Rajbhandari and Rai 2017; Shrestha et al. 2018) had not previously reported this species. However, the present finding supports Govaerts et al. (2021), which had reported its distribution in Nepal.

The Nepalese populations bear perianth segments in two whorls. The outer whorl consists of three very short needles like bristles, while the inner whorl consists of three obovate-oblong perianth segments.

Figures

Figure 2. Achene A Eleocharis ochrostachys B Fimbristylis acuminata C F. ferruginea D F. nutans E F. salbundia F F. thomsonii G Fuirena umbellata H Machaerina rubiginosa I Scleria rugosa.