Scleria lagoensis Boeckeler

Cyperaceae, Miss S. S. Hooper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit

Tufted perennial 60–150 cm. high with swollen stem-bases

Morphology Leaves

5–12 mm. wide leaves

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Lateral panicles pendulous on slender exserted peduncles

Ecology

In damp grasslands, usually seasonally waterlogged.

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Nativa en Colombia; Llanura del Caribe.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba, trepadora

Conservation

No Evaluada

Cyperaceae, K Hoenselaar, B. Verdcourt & H. Beentje. Hypolytrum, D Simpson. Fuirena, M Muasya. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2010

Type

Type: Brazil, Lagoa Santa, Warming s.n. (C, lecto.)( Note: Robinson discusses the type material of this)

Morphology General Habit

Robust rhizomatous perennial 0.5–1.8 m tall, with stem-bases swollen, up to 5 mm wide, forming a ± shapeless knotty mass or sometimes extended into a ± straight row but true rhizome lacking.

Morphology Roots

Roots becoming cylindrical and tuberous at a distance of 3–10 cm from stem bases.

Morphology Stem

Stems 2–3 mm wide, scabrid

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 20–50 cm long, 5–12 mm wide, usually sharply scabrid on margins and ribs but otherwise glabrous or hairy at base and on the winged sheaths.

Morphology Leaves Leaf sheaths

Lower sheaths purplish, without blades, with thickened ligule

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence of 1 terminal and 3–6 lateral panicles 3–8(–12) cm long, rarely all single but mostly 2–3 to each node on erect or pendulous glabrous or scabrid peduncles up to 6 cm long; male spikelets 5–6 mm long with straw-coloured glumes, sessile or pedicels very short; female spikelets 6–7 mm long the glumes strawcoloured or green, often strongly speckled with deep reddish brown and with green midrib

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Nutlets green turning white or grey to brown, narrowly ovoid to ovoidsubglobose, 2.7–4.2 mm long, 2–2.5 mm wide, smooth or faintly striate-lacunose, hairy, more so towards the base, ± glabrous above; hypogynium yellowish brown with narrowly acuminate lobes or these sometimes almost or completely absent.

Ecology

Grassland, Terminalia-Combretum and Brachystegia-Uapaca woodland, forest edge grassland; 750–1650 m (Note: If the record from Pemba in Napper (1964) is correct then the lower altitude will be near sea level.)

Note

Robinson suggests that some of the extensive variation may prove to be geographically correlated and that subspecies might be desirable, but more study throughout its range would be needed. Lye established subsp. canaliculato-triquetra but gave absolutely no reasons or distinctions in either reference and later, in Fl. Eth., sunk the subspecies.

Distribution

Flora districts: U1 K7 T3 T4 T6 T7 T8 P (fide Napper) %Senegal to Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo-Kinshasa, Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa; Madagascar, Comoro Is.; also Brazil, Columbia and Venezuela

J. Browning, K.D. Gordon-Gray†, M. Lock, H. Beentje, K. Vollesen, K. Bauters, C. Archer, I. Larridon, M. Xanthos, P. Vorster, J. Bruhl, K. Wilson and X. Zhang (2020). Flora Zambesiaca Volume: 14: Cyperaceae. M.Á. García, J.R. Timberlake (Eds). Kew Publish

Type

Brazil, Lagoa Santa, Warming s.n. (C lectotype), see extensive notes on typification in Robinson (1966: 539).

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb; stems 50–150(200) cm tall, 2–3 mm wide, scabrid

Morphology Stem

Stem-bases swollen, to 5 mm wide, forming a ± shapeless knotty mass or sometimes extended into a ± straight row; true rhizome lacking, roots becoming cylindrical and tuberous 3–10 cm from stem base

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 20–50 cm long, 5–12 mm wide, usually sharply scabrid on margins and ribs but otherwise glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence of 1 terminal and 3–6 lateral panicles, sometimes single but mostly 2–3 per node, 3–8(12) cm long, on erect or pendulous glabrous or scabrid peduncles to 6 cm long

sex Male

Male spikelets 5–6 mm long with straw-coloured glumes, sessile or pedicels very short; female spikelets 6–7 mm long; glumes straw-coloured or green, often strongly speckled with deep reddish brown, with green midrib

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Nutlets narrowly ovoid to ovoid-subglobose, 2.7–4.2 × 2–2.5 mm wide, smooth or faintly striate-lacunose, hairy, more so towards base, ± glabrous above, green turning white or grey to brown; hypogynium yellowish brown with narrowly acuminate lobes, sometimes almost or completely absent.

Distribution

Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique. Senegal to Nigeria, Cameroon, D.R. Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Swaziland, also in Madagascar, Comoro Is., Brazil, Columbia and Venezuela.

Ecology

In seasonally or (more usually) permanently wet swamps or grassland; 700–1350 m (elsewhere near sea level).

Conservation

Widespread; not threatened.

Recognition

The hairs on the nutlet can be difficult to see on a white nutlet as they are themselves white.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/120180481/120180587

Conservation

LC - least concern

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident