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Three New Species of Cyperus (Cyperaceae) from Eastern and Southern Africa
Author(s): D. A. Simpson and A. M. Muasya
Source:
Kew Bulletin,
Vol. 59, No. 4, (2004), pp. 593-598
Published by: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4110917
Accessed: 17/04/2008 03:03
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KEW
BULLETIN 59: 593-598 (2004) 593
Three new species
of Cyperus
(Cyperaceae)
from
eastern and southern
Africa
D. A. Simpson' & A. M. Muasya2
Summary. Cyperus matagoroensis Muasya & D. A. Simpson, C. tatandaensis Muasya & D. A. Simpson and C.
longispicula Muasya & D. A. Simpson, three new species from eastern and southern Africa, are described and
illustrated.
The genus Cyperus
comprises up to 600 species and is
widely distributed, mostly in tropical to warm
temperate parts of the world. Eastern and southern
Africa are centres of diversity for the genus with up to
200 species occurring in these regions as a whole. The
following new species have come to light from our
studies of the genus as part of the Cyperaceae
accounts
for the Flora of Tropical
East Africa and Flora Zambesiaca.
1. Cyperus matagoroensis Muasya & D. A. Simpson
sp. nov. Cyperus nyererei
Lye affinis sed foliis 0.5 - 0.7
mm (non 2 - 4 mm) latis, ramis inflorescentiae usque
ad 3 cm (non 2 cm) longis, glumis 2.3 - 2.7 mm (non
2.8 - 3.5 mm) longis differt. Typus: Tanzania, Milne-
Redhead & Taylor
8595 (holotypus K!; isotypi BM, BR).
Shortly rhizomatous perennial. Culms moderately to
densely tufted, 30 - 50 cm x 0.7 - 0.9 mm, trigonous,
smooth, green, densely covered at base by fibrous,
dark reddish-brown to blackish leaf sheath remains.
Leaves: blade narrowly linear, 17 - 30 cm x 0.5 - 0.7
mm, gradually tapering to an acute apex, v-shaped in
cross-section, margins scabrid, green; sheath 1.5 - 2
cm long, brownish. Involucral bracts 3 - 4, leaf-like, the
longest 1.5 - 2.2 cm long, margins scabrid. Inflorescence
with simple branching, lax to congested in young
plants, 2.5 - 3.5 cm long; primary branches 3 - 4, 0.5 -
3 cm long. Spikelets in digitate clusters, 2 - 4 per
cluster, elliptic-lanceolate to lanceolate, 8 - 10 x 2 - 3
mm, flattened, mid-reddish-brown, rachilla straight.
Glumes
12 - 18 per spikelet, ovate, 2.3 - 2.7 x 0.5 - 0.7
mm, ? acute, sides membranous, 1-nerved on each
side, dark reddish-brown with pale brown margins,
keel green. Stamens 3; anthers 1.3 - 1.5 mm long.
Stigmas 3. Nutlets elliptic, trigonous with slightly
convex sides, 1.3 - 1.6 x 0.6 - 0.8 mm, maturing dark
reddish, minutely papillose. Fig. 1.
DISTRIBUTION. AFRICA: Tanzania, Zambia.
TANZANIA.
Mbeya Distr.: Chimala Escarpment, 3 Dec.
1963, Richards 18534 (K!); Songea Distr.: Matagoro
Hills, 3 Feb. 1956, Milne-Redhead & Taylor 8595
(holotype K!; isotypes BM, BR); Ufipa Distr.: Rukwa
Escarpment, Namwele, 28 Dec. 1961, Robinson 4784
(K!).
ZAMBIA. E: Nyika Plateau, 2 Jan. 1959, Robinson 2991
(K!); N: Chilongowelo, 22 Dec. 1954, Richards 3744b
(K!); Kambole Escarpment, 20 Feb. 1957, Richards
8292 (K!); 8 km E of Kasama, 4 Dec. 1961, Robinson
4721 (K); Kawimbe, 17 Dec. 1956, Richards 7293
(K!); Masanzi, 13 Dec. 1958, Richards 10344 (K!).
HABITAT. Woodland, grassland, dry stream banks,
shallow soils overlying rocks; 1410 - 2100 m.
ETYMOLOGY. Named for the type locality.
CONSERVATION STATUS. We assess this plant as Data
Deficient (DD) using the IUCN criteria (IUCN
2001). Although several specimens have been
collected we have no information about the status of
the habitats in which the plants occur.
Cyperus matagoroensis is closely related to Cyperus
nyererei which was fairly recently described by Lye
(1983). Our new species differs in having narrower
leaves, longer inflorescence branches, mid-reddish-
brown spikelets and shorter glumes.
Accepted
for publication
February
2004.
1 Herbarium,
Royal
Botanic
Gardens, Kew,
Richmond,
Surrey,
TW9
3AB,
U.K.
2 East
African
Herbarium,
National
Museums of Kenya,
RO. Box
45166, Nairobi
00100, Kenya.
? The Board of Trustees
of the Royal
Botanic
Gardens,
Kew,
2004
594 KEW BULLETIN VOL.
59(4)
Fig. 1. Cyperus matagoroensis
A habit;
B spikelet;
C flower;
D nutlet.
A from
Milne-Redhead
& Taylor
8595; B from Richards
7293; C
from Richards
18534; D from Richards 8292. DRAWN BY
MARGARET
TEBBS.
? The Board
of Trustees of the Royal
Botanic
Gardens, Kew,
2004
THREE NEW CYPERUS
SPECIES
FROM AFRICA 595
2. Cyperus tatandaensis Muasya & D. A. Simpson sp.
nov. C. margaritaceo
Vahl affinis sed foliis angustissime
ovatis (non linearis) 6 - 8 mm (non 1 - 4 mm) latis,
nuculis 1.4 - 1.6 mm (non 1.7 - 2 mm) latis differt.
Typus: Tanzania, Faden, Phillips, Muasya & Macha
96/376 (holotypus K!; isotypi EA!, NHT!, US!).
Shortly rhizomatous perennial. Culms moderately
tufted, 77 - 85 cm x 2 - 2.5 mm, terete, smooth,
greenish, base slightly swollen, dark brown. Leaves
mostly basal, 1 - 3 cauline towards the base of culm;
blade very narrowly ovate, 10 - 14 cm x 6 - 8 mm,
gradually tapering to an acute or acuminate apex, flat
in cross-section, margins minutely scabrid, green;
sheath 2 - 11 cm long, brownish, completely
enclosing culm on cauline leaves. Involucral bracts 3 -
7, leaf-like, the longest 3.4 - 5 cm long, margins
scabrid at tip. Inflorescence
congested capitate, 1 - 1.4
x 2 - 2.5 cm. Spikelets
10 - 15 per inflorescence, ovate
to narrowly ovate, 10 - 12 x 4 - 6 mm, flattened,
rachilla straight, dorsiventrally broad with thick,
raised margins. Glumes c. 10 per spikelet, ovate, 6 - 7
x 1.5 - 2 mm, ? acute with mucro to 1 mm long, sides
chartaceous, indistinctly 6 - 7-nerved on each side,
mid-brown, somewhat shiny, keel similar. Stamens 3;
anthers not seen; filaments up to 5 mm long. Stigmas
3. Nutlets elliptic to elliptic-obovate, trigonous with
flat to slightly concave sides, 2 - 2.4 x 1.4 - 1.6 mm,
maturing greyish to reddish-brown, shiny, smooth.
Fig. 2.
DISTRIBUTION.
AFRICA:
Tanzania.
TANZANIA.
Sumbawanga Distr., hill NW of Tatanda
Mission, 8'29'13"S, 31'30'04"E, 23 June 1996, Faden,
Phillips, Muasya & Macha 96/376 (holotype K!;
isotypes EA!, NHT!, US!).
HABITAT.
Brachystegia woodland, now heavily cut; c.
1880 m.
ETYMOLOGY. Named for the type locality.
CONSERVATION STATUS. Known from only one
specimen in an area which seems to be experiencing
a decline in habitat quality due to tree cutting.
Therefore, we assess the taxon as Endangered (EN)
using the criteria set out by IUCN (2001):
ENB2ab(iii).
Cyperus tatandaensis is closely related to C.
margaritaceus
from which it differs in having broader
leaves and narrower nutlets. This close affinity
suggests that our new species belongs to a group of
taxa placed by Kiukenthal (1936) in sect. Platystachyi
Kunth. These taxa are generally characterised by
having rather broad spikelets with white,
yellow/orange or reddish chartaceous glumes.
Indeed the glume coloration could make them of
horticultural interest, although none of them appear
yet to be in cultivation.
3. Cyperus longispicula Muasya & D. A. Simpson sp.
nov. Cyperus
kirkii
C. B. Clarke affinis sed inflorescentiis
4 - 5 cm (non 1 - 3 cm) latis, spiculis linearis usque ad
2.5 cm (non 1.5 cm) longis differt. Typus: Zimbabwe,J.
M. Rattray
1273 (holotypus K!, isotypus SRGH).
Shortly rhizomatous perennial. Culms moderately to
densely tufted, 18 - 32 cm x 0.7 - 0.9 mm, terete to +
trigonous, smooth, green, densely covered at base by
mid- to dark brown leaf sheath remains. Leaves:
blade
narrowly linear, 6 - 29 cm x 0.4 - 0.7 mm, very
gradually tapering to an acute apex, flat in cross-
section, margins smooth, green; sheath 2.5 - 3.5 cm
long, mid-brown. Involucral bracts
2 - 3, leaf-like, the
longest 6 - 12 cm long, margins smooth. Inflorescence
lax capitate, 2.5 - 5 x 4 - 5.5 cm. Spikelets
14 - 18 per
inflorescence, linear, (1 -) 1.8 - 2.5 cm x 1.8 - 2.4
mm, flattened, reddish-brown, rachilla straight.
Glumes 18 - 44 per spikelet, ovate-lanceolate, 2.4 - 2.7
x 1 - 1.6 mm, ? acute, sides membranous, 2 - 3-
nerved on each side, mid-reddish brown, keel green
to pale brown. Stamens 3; anthers 1.2 mm long.
Stigmas 3. Nutlets obovate, trigonous with convex
sides, 0.7 - 0.8 x 0.4 mm, maturing dark brown, very
minutely papillose. Fig. 3.
DISTRIBUTION. AFRICA: Mozambique, Zimbabwe.
MOZAMBIQUE.
MS: 10 miles N of Mavita, 1 Feb. 1962,
Wild 5633 (K!, SRGH); Chimanimani Mts, ? 2 miles S
of Makurupini, 25 Nov. 1967, Simon & Ngoni 1311A
(K!, SRGH).
ZIMBABWE. E: Lower Sabi, 27 Jan. - 2 Feb. 1948, J. M.
Rattray 1273 (holotype K!; isotype SRGH); Chipinga,
8 March 1965, Plowes 2884 (K!).
HABITAT.
Peaty soil in rock fissures, shallow soil on
rock outcrops, vlei grassland on quartzite sands; 430 -
500 m.
ETYMOLOGY. Name refers to the distinctly long
spikelets possessed by this species.
CONSERVATION STATUS. We assess this plant as Data
Deficient (DD) using the IUCN criteria (IUCN 2001).
We have no information about the status of the
habitats in which the plants occur.
Cyperus longispicula is related to C. kirkii, differing by
its larger inflorescence and longer spikelets. Its
relationship to C. kirkii places it within sect Amabiles
C. B. Clarke, a natural grouping of taxa characterised
by narrow spikelets and small reddish to brown
glumes. This was accepted by Kiukenthal (1936).
Interestingly Haines & Lye (1983) include this
section and sect. Platystachyi together in subgen.
Xerocyperus Lye, despite the taxa being
morphologically distinct. They do, however, say that
subgen. Xerocyperus
is heterogeneous and could be
split into 3 - 4 subgenera. We favour the sectional
classification adopted by Kiukenthal, as we feel that
? The Board
of Trustees
of the Royal
Botanic
Gardens, Kew,
2004
596 KEW BULLETIN
VOL. 59(4)
Fig. 2. Cyperus tatandaensis A habit; B spikelet; C flower; D nutlet. All from Faden, Phillips, Muasya & Macha 96/376. DRAWN BY
MARGARET
TEBBS.
? The
Board of Trustees
of the Royal
Botanic
Gardens,
Kew,
2004
THREE NEW CYPERUS SPECIES FROM AFRICA 597
Fig. 3. Cyperus longispicula A habit; B spikelet; C flower; D nutlet. All from Rattray 1273. DRAWN
BY
MARGARET TEBBS.
? The Board of Trustees of the Royal
Botanic
Gardens, Kew,
2004
598 KEW
BULLETIN
VOL. 59(4)
subgeneric recognition places too much importance
on what
are
relatively
small
groups
of taxa.
Acknowledgements
We thank Margaret Tebbs for the illustrations. A. M.
M. acknowledges financial support from the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew that enabled him to visit Kew
to carry out this work.
References
Haines, R. W. & Lye, K. (1983). Sedges and Rushes of
East Africa. East African Natural History Society,
Nairobi.
IUCN (2001). IUCN Red List categories: Version 3.1.
IUCN Species Survival Commission, Gland,
Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K.
Kiikenthal, G. (1936). Cyperaceae
- Scirpoideae
-
Cypereae.
In: A. Engler (ed.), Das Pflanzenreich, IV
20, 101 Heft. Engelmann, Leipzig.
Lye, K. A. (1983). Studies in African Cyperaceae
25.
New taxa and combinations in Cyperus. Nordic J.
Bot. 3: 213 - 232.
? The
Board of Trustees of the Royal
Botanic
Gardens,
Kew,
2004
