Available via license: CC BY 4.0
Content may be subject to copyright.
KEW BULLETIN (2023) 78:425–426
Vol.:(0123456789)
DOI 10.1007/S12225-023-10123-X
© The Author(s), 2023
Validation of the name Cyperus atronervatus subsp.
angustifolius (Cyperaceae)
Martin Xanthos
Summary. The name Cyperus atronervatus subsp. angustifolius was not validly published due to the omission of a
Latin diagnosis. The name is validly published here.
Key Words. Ethiopia, nomenclature, subsp. nov.
Introduction
The genus Cyperus is the second largest genus in the Cyper-
aceae, (after Carex L.) and is mostly associated with tropi-
cal and warm temperate parts of the world (Simpson &
Muasya 2004). The genus is characterised by a capitate or
anthelate inorescence, and mostly distichously arranged
glumes and bisexual owers (Larridon et al. 2021).
Cyperus atronervatus Boeckeler, rst described in 1874
(Boeckeler 1874) was transferred in and out of Pycreus
P.Beauv. by dierent authors (Clarke 1908; Kükenthal
1936) owing to the morphological similarity of the two
genera. In the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea, Lye (1997) kept
the species in Cyperus but within the subgenus Pycreus.
Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that Pycreus
is nested within the genus Cyperus, along with other
formally recognised segregate genera (see Larridon et
al. 2014, 2021). Consequently, Cyperus now includes c.
960 species (Larridon et al. 2021).
During sorting of specimens studied by the late Sheila
Hooper, a specimen of Cyperus atronervatus subsp. angus-
tifolius Lye (Ash 2097) was found that was a duplicate of
the type collection already at K. Ash 2097 was identied
as a new subspecies by Kåre Arnstein Lye and is cited
in the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea. However, within this
account there is no reference to where the name was rst
published, nor does the account itself have a description
of the taxon; a requirement under article 38.1 of the
nomenclatural code (Turland et al. 2018). Lye formally
published other Cyperaceae names in the journal Lidia
for inclusion in the Flora, but C. atronervatus subsp. angus-
tifolius Lye cannot be found in any Lidia issue. Because
this name can only be traced as rst appearing in the
Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and due to the apparent over-
sight of validation, the name is formally published here.
Cyperus atronervatus Boeckeler subsp. angustifolius Lye
ex Xanthos subsp. nov.
http:// www. ipni. org/ urn: lsid: ipni. org: names: 77319 964-1
Cyperus atronervatus Boeckeler subsp. angustifolius Lye,
Fl. Ethiopia & Eritrea 6: 236 (1997) nom. inval.
Type: Ethiopia, 14 km N of Entoto Pass out of
Addis Ababba, Soluta, ooded water meadows,
2500 m, SU, not known elsewhere, Ash 2097
(holotype K [K001562334]; isotypes ETH, K
[K001562335]).
Annual. Culms 5 – 50 cm × 0.5 – 1 mm. Leaf blades 0.3 –
1 mm wide. Inorescence an anthela of 1 – 4 spike-
lets. Spikelets 5 – 16 × 2 – 5 mm, linear-lanceolate,
attened, grey-black. Glumes 2 – 3 mm long, green
or pallid and without a prominent midrib but with
many prominent black longitudinal lines, without a
wide black margin, apex obtuse. Nutlet 1.3 – 1.8 × 0.9 –
1.2 mm, obovate, strongly attened, black, smooth
or punctate.
DISTRIBUTION. Ethiopia.
ETYMOLOGY. The subspecic name is derived from the
narrow leaves of the taxon.
NOTES. The taxon differs from the typical species in
several respects. Subspecies angustifolius is an annual
with thinner culms and thinner leaf blades, an
anthela of typically 2 – 4 spikelets, shorter glumes,
and the absence of a black border around the glume
margin. Subspecies atronervatus is a perennial with
thicker culms (1 – 3 mm wide), wider leaf blades
(2 – 5 mm), larger glumes (3 – 6 mm long) and a
conspicuous black border around the glume margin.
ISSN 1874-933X (print)
ISSN 0075-5974 (electronic)
Accepted for publication 2 June 2023.
1 Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK. e-mail: m.xanthos@kew.org
Published online 19 June 2023
KEW BULLETIN (2023) 78:425–426
© The Author(s), 2023
Declarations
Conicts of interest The author declares no conict
of interest.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Crea-
tive Commons Attribution 4.0 International License,
which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution
and reproduction in any medium or format, as long
as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s)
and the source, provide a link to the Creative Com-
mons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The
images or other third party material in this article are
included in the article's Creative Commons licence,
unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the mate-
rial. If material is not included in the article's Creative
Commons licence and your intended use is not permit-
ted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted
use, you will need to obtain permission directly from
the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence,
visit http:// creat iveco mmons. org/ licen ses/ by/4. 0/.
References
Boeckeler, O. (1874). Die Cyperaceen des Königl. Her-
bariums zu Berlin. Linnaea. 38: 223 – 544.
Clarke, C. B. (1908). New genera and species of Cyper-
aceae. Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew, Addit. Ser. VIII. Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Kükenthal, G. (1936). Cyperaceae – Scirpoideae –
Cypereae. In: A. Engler (ed.), Das Planzenreich IV
20 heft 101. Engelmann, Leipzig.
Larridon, I., Bauters, K., Reynders, M., Huygh, W. &
Goetghebeur, P. (2014). Taxonomic changes in
C4 Cyperus (Cypereae, Cyperoideae, Cyperaceae):
combining the sedge genera Ascolepis, Kyllinga and
Pycreus into Cyperus s.l. Phytotaxa 166 (1): 33 – 48.
https:// doi. org/ 10. 11646/ phyto taxa. 166.1.2
____, Zuntini, A. R., Léveillé-Bourret, E., Barrett, R.
L., Starr, J. R., Muasya, A. M., Villaverde, T. Bauters,
K., Brewer, G. E., Bruhl, J. J., Costa, S. M., Elliott, T.
L., Epitawalage, N., Escudero, M., Fairlie, I., Goet-
ghebeur, P., Hipp, A. L., Jiménez-Mejías, P., Sabino
Kikuchi, I. A. B., Luceño, M., Márquez-Corro, J. I.,
Martín-Bravo, S., Maurin, O., Pokorny, L., Roalson,
E. H., Semmouri, I., Simpson, D. A., Spalink, D.,
Thomas, W. W., Wilson, K. L., Xanthos, M., For-
est, F. & Baker, W. J. (2021). A new classication
of Cyperaceae (Poales) supported by phylogenomic
data. J. Syst. Evol. 59 (4): 852 – 895. doi: https:// doi.
org/ 10. 1111/ jse. 12757
Lye, K. A. (1997). Hydrocharitaceae to Arecaceae In:
S. Edwards, Sebsebe D. & I. Hedberg (eds), Flora
of Ethiopia and Eritrea: 6. The National Herbarium,
Ethiopia.
Simpson, D. A. & Muasya, A. M. (2004). Three new
species of Cyperus (Cyperaceae) from eastern and
southern Africa. Kew Bull. 59: 593 – 598. https://
doi. org/ 10. 2307/ 41109 17
Turland, N. J., Wiersema, J. H., Barrie, F. R., Greuter,
W., Hawksworth, D. L., Herendeen, P. S., Knapp,
S., Kusber, W.-H., Li, D.-Z., Marhold, K., May, T.
W., McNeill, J., Monro, A. M., Prado, J., Price, M. J.
& Smith, G. F. (eds) (2018). International Code of
Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Shen-
zhen Code) adopted by the Nineteenth Interna-
tional Botanical Congress Shenzhen, China, July
2017. Regnum Veg. 159. Koeltz Botanical Books,
Glashütten. DOI https:// doi. org/ 10. 12705/ Code.
2018
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to juris-
dictional claims in published maps and institutional
aliations.
426
