Bulbostylis medusae (Cyperaceae), a New Species from Venezuela
Ana Paula Prata
Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Departamento de Biologia, Campus Universitário Professor
Aloı́sio de Campos, 49100-000, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil. apprata@yahoo.com.br
Konraed Camelbeke
Arboretum Wespelaar vzw, De Costerstraat 37, B-3150 Haacht-Wespelaar, Belgium.
arboretum.wespelaar@skynet.be
Marc Reynders*
Ghent University, Department of Biology, Research Group Spermatophytes, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. Marc.Reynders@UGent.be. *Corresponding author.
Irene Carolina Fedón
Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela, Curadora de Monocotiledóneas del Herbario
Nacional de Venezuela (VEN), Apartado 2156, Caracas 1010-A, Venezuela. ircafe@cantv.net
Paul Goetghebeur
Ghent University, Department of Biology, Research Group Spermatophytes, K. L.
Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. Paul.Goetghebeur@UGent.be
Otto Huber
CoroLab Humboldt, Centro Internacional de Ecologı́a Tropical/Instituto Venezolano de
Investigaciones Cientı́ficas (CIET/IVIC), Apartado 21 827, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela.
ohuber@mac.com
ABSTRACT . Bulbostylis medusae Prata, Reynders &
Goetghebeur from Venezuela is fully described and
illustrated. This species differs from all other South
American Bulbostylis Kunth species by the combination of long-ciliated leaf sheaths, leaf apices, bracts,
and spikelet axes. The new species resembles B.
sellowiana (Kunth) Palla, and a comparison of the two
species is made.
Key words: Cyperaceae, Bulbostylis, Venezuela.
During a study of Cyperaceae specimens from
Venezuela, our attention was caught by a beautiful
specimen of Bulbostylis Kunth. It was collected by A.
Gröger during the preparation of a Florula de Las
Lajas–Venezuela within the framework of the research
project ‘‘Vegetation and ecogeographical differentiation of tropical Inselbergs’’ (Barthlott et al., 1993).
Efforts to identify this specimen using treatments of
Cyperaceae for Venezuela, e.g., Schnee (1943), and
published keys for Bulbostylis in the surrounding
regions were unsatisfactory. Since then it has
remained unpublished and was designated by Kral
(1998: 511) as ‘‘Bulbostylis sp. A’’ in the treatment of
Cyperaceae for the Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana.
Bulbostylis is a Pantropical genus that comprises
about 200 species. The highest concentration of
Bulbostylis spp. can be found in Africa and South
America. Diagnostic characters are the setaceous
leaves, the pilose orifice of the leaf sheath, and the
generally bulbous style base. Most species also have
a fruit wall with vertically elongated cells.
Bulbostylis medusae Prata, Reynders & Goetghebeur, sp. nov. TYPE: Venezuela. Amazonas:
mpio. Atures, carr. Pto. Ayacucho hacia El
Burro, Km 28, 6 km en la desviación hacia el
Este, Raudal del Agua Linda, 5u489N, 67u269W,
rooted in clefts on granite soil, 14 May 1993, A.
Gröger 913 (holotype, VEN; isotypes, GENT,
TFAV). Figures 1, 2.
Herba perennis, 30–60 cm alta; basis circumcincta
vaginis foliorum pallide castaneis, numerosis pilis albis
mixtis; radices crassae; culmi caespitosi, teretes. Folia 1/3–
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Figure 1. Bulbostylis medusae Prata, Reynders & Goetghebeur. —A. Habit. —B. Inflorescence. —C. Fruit, from above. —
D. Fruit. —E. Lower glume. —F. Upper glume. —G. Hair from base of glumes. —H. Leaf tip with bunch of hairs. —I. Leaf tip
of B. sellowiana (Kunth) Palla. Drawn by Marc Reynders: A–H from the holotype Gröger 913 (GENT); I from Furlan, Guilietti,
Harley, Wanderley & Varanda 4569 (GENT).
1/2 culmi aequilonga, vaginae longitudinale costatae,
papyraceae, apice obliquo, laminae setaceae, recurvatae,
11–22 6 0.03 cm, pagina superiore concava, pagina
inferiore convexa, scabra praecipue secus margines atque
nervum centralem. Inflorescentia capitata; spiculae 3 ad 7,
ovatae, 11 ad 15 florae; bracteae involucrales 3 ad 7,
glumiformes; glumae 3–4 6 1.3–1.5 mm, ciliatae. Achenium cordiforme, 0.7–1.5 mm longum, valde trilobatum,
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Prata et al.
Bulbostylis medusae from Venezuela
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Figure 2. Bulbostylis medusae Prata, Reynders & Goetghebeur. —A. Spikelet with long-septate hairs between the glumes.
—B. SEM micrograph of fruit. —C. SEM micrograph detail of fruit wall. A–C from the holotype Gröger 913 (GENT); A drawn
by K. Camelbeke.
faciebus valde transversim undulato-rugosis, bulbo stylino
atrocastaneo, deciduo.
Perennial, caespitose herb, 30–60 cm tall, the base
pale brown, obscured by the white pubescence of the
lower leaf sheaths, roots thick (Fig. 1A); culm 0.6–
1.2 mm thick, terete, longitudinally ribbed, grayish
green to yellowish brown toward the base, densely
puberulent or scabrid immediately below inflorescence, sometimes also in upper 20 cm, otherwise
glabrous. Leaves 11–22 6 0.03 cm, 1/3–1/2 length
of culm; leaf blades setaceous, recurved, curling and
involute in dried state, scabrous mainly along the
margins and central nerve, the apex rounded with
a fascicle of short stiff hairs (Fig. 1H), adaxial face
concave, smooth, abaxial face convex, canaliculate;
sheaths 1–1.5 cm, papyraceous, apex oblique, abaxial
face longitudinally ribbed, densely lanose with tufts of
white hairs 0.5–1 cm, upper leaves with membranaceous sheaths surrounding the stem, with many long
white hairs at their apex. Inflorescence 1–1.5 6 1.3–
2 cm, capitate with 3 to 7 sessile spikelets (Fig. 1B);
involucral bracts 3 to 7, suberect, glume-like,
widened at the base, surface puberulent, papillose,
the lowermost bract 1–1.7 cm, slightly overtopping
the inflorescence, the others gradually smaller, margin
lacerate, fimbriate, with white hairs 0.3–0.5 cm;
spikelets 10–15 6 3–4 mm, narrowly ovoid, acute,
11 to 15 flowers, rachilla internodes with tufts of white
septate hairs, 0.5 cm (Figs. 1G, 2A); glumes persistent, 3–4 6 1.3–1.5 mm, lanceolate, light brown,
papyraceous, midrib 3-nerved, not excurrent, surface
ciliolate, papillose, acute, margin lacerate, ciliate
(Fig. 1E, F). Flowers bisexual; stamens 3, anthers
0.5–0.8 mm, linear; style trifid, 2 mm, branches
0.6 mm, style base early deciduous, narrowly thickened, ca. 0.5 mm long. Achene 0.7–1.5 6 0.6–1 mm,
trigonous cordiform, broadly 3-lobed (Figs. 1C, 2B),
narrowed at base (Fig. 1D), ribs thickened, surface
transversely rugose and finely longitudinally striate
(Fig. 2C), silica bodies present mainly along the ribs,
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Table 1. Morphological differences between Bulbostylis medusae and B. sellowiana. The character description of B.
medusae is based on A. Gröger 913 (GENT) and that of B. sellowiana on Furlan, Guilietti, Harley, Wanderley & Varanda 4569
(GENT) and Wettstein & Schiffner s.n. (WU).
B. medusae
B. sellowiana
Plant base with white hairs
Leaf
blade
recurved
apex
rounded with a fascicle of short, stiff, white hairs (Fig. 1H)
strictly erect
conspicuously narrowed, always glabrous (Fig. 1I)
Achene
shape
apex
base
suborbicular-obovoid
slightly trigonous
slightly attenuate
cordiform
strongly trigonous
conspicuously attenuate
brown to dark brown at maturity; pyramidal, ca. 1/4
length of achene.
Distribution and habitat. The species described
here grows in savannas of Trachypogon Nees in
oligotrophic sandy soil with dispersed ferrous conglomerates, on granitic outcrops next to Utricularia L.
The climate in the area is biseasonal with a dry season
from December to February and rainy season from
March to November, and with maximum rainfall in
July. The average precipitation is 2345.97 mm per
year, and the average temperature is 26.53uC. The
Amazonas state is located in the Guyana–Brazilian
Shield region, which is composed mostly of metamorphic and granitic igneous rock considered to be
from the Precambrian period (MARNR, 1983; Blancaneaux & Pouyllau, 1977).
Numerous papers have been written about the
generic delimitation of Abildgaardia Vahl, Bulbostylis, and Fimbristylis Vahl (e.g., Lye, 1971; Goetghebeur & Coudijzer, 1985). Herein we recognize these
three genera as separate; the new species described
can be identified as Bulbostylis. Important diagnostic
characters for the genus were provided at the
beginning of this paper.
The new species can be included in Section III of
Clarke (1908) based on the presence of a 3-fid style
and an inflorescence consisting of one head. In the
classification of Osten (1931), the species should be
included in the section Umbellatae.
Bulbostylis medusae is most similar to B. sellowiana
(Kunth) Palla (Kunth, 1837: 208; Nees, 1842: 27, 89;
Böckeler, 1870: 748; Lindman, 1900: 17; Palla, 1908:
179) by its habit and the structure of the inflorescence. Bulbostylis medusae differs, however, by the
white hairs surrounding the base of the plant, the
recurved leaf blades, the rounded apex of the leaves
with a fascicle of short stiff hairs, and the cordiform
fruit with trilobed apex. A comparison of B. medusae
and B. sellowiana is made in Table 1. The stem base
of B. medusae is densely covered by tufts of long white
with orange to reddish hairs
hairs from the abaxial face of the leaf sheaths. The
spikelets have similar tufts of long, white, multicellular hairs, evident on the abaxial face of the lower
glumes and on the rachilla. These combinations of
characters have not been noted in any other species of
Bulbostylis. Bulbostylis medusae also differs from
other Bulbostylis species by its leaf tip with a fascicle
of hairs. The leaf tips of B. medusae and B. sellowiana
are compared in Figure 1H and 1I.
Two other South American species also resemble
Bulbostylis medusae. These are B. emmerichiae T.
Koyama (distribution: Brazil: Bahia, Mato Grosso,
Goiás, and Minas Gerais) (1974: 429) and B.
lombardii Kral & M. T. Strong (distribution: Brazil:
Minas Gerais) (1999: 850). Both of these species can
be distinguished from the new species by the presence
of a short, suberect caudex. Bulbostylis lombardii also
has a persistent style base, while the two others have
a deciduous one.
Identification of the new species with a key for
North America (Kral, 1971) resulted in Bulbostylis
warei (Torrey) C. B. Clarke, a species with fimbriatepectinate involucral bracts and prominently lobed
achenes. Bulbostylis warei, however, differs from B.
medusae in its shorter spikelets (4–5 mm), smooth or
minutely puberulent scales, habitat, and its North
American distribution.
Taxonomic knowledge of American Bulbostylis
species with capitate or anthelate inflorescences is
poor, and a revision is sorely needed. For the
unispiculate species, an enumeration (including
a key to the species) has already been published
(Goetghebeur & Gröger, 1993).
Etymology. The specific epithet ‘‘medusae’’ refers
to the reminiscence of the recurved leaf blades to the
hair of Medusa in Greek mythology.
Paratypes. VENEZUELA. Amazonas: mpio. Atures,
Puerto Ayacucho, betw. electric power plant & Orinoco
River, 14 June 1984, G. Davidse & J. S. Miller 25440 (NY);
Pisicultura Station, ca. 8 km S of Puerto Ayacucho, 22 June
Volume 17, Number 1
2007
Prata et al.
Bulbostylis medusae from Venezuela
1984, G. Davidse & J. S. Miller 26340 (TFAV); al sur de
Puerto Ayacucho, cerca de Mirabal, lado este de la carretera
hacia Samariapo, 100 m, 24 Aug. 2006, S. Nozawa 1147
(TFAV, VEN).
Koyama, T. 1974. A new species of Bulbostylis (Cyperaceae)
from Brazil. Bradea 1: 429–432.
Kral, R. 1971. A treatment of Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis and
Fimbristylis (Cyperaceae) for North America. Sida 4(2):
57–227.
———. 1998. Bulbostylis. Pp. 505–514 in P. E. Berry, B. K.
Holst & K. Yatskievych (editors), Flora of the Venezuelan
Guayana, Vol. 4. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St.
Louis.
——— & M. T. Strong. 1999. Eight novelties in Abildgaardia and Bulbostylis (Cyperaceae) from South America.
Sida 18(3): 837–859.
Kunth, C. S. 1837. Enumeratio plantarum, Vol. 2. Stutgardiae & Tubingae.
Lindmann, C. A. M. 1900. List of Regnellian Cyperaceae.
Bih. Kongl. Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 26, Afd. 3,
No. 9.
Lye, K. A. 1971. The generic concept of Bulbostylis Kunth ex
C. B. Clarke. Mitt. Bot. Staatssamml. München 10:
539–547.
MARNR (Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos
Naturales Renovables). 1983. Pp. 26–35 in Sistemas
Ambientales Venezolanos, Proyecto VEN/79/001 Ser. VII,
Doc. 11, Región Guayana, Territorio Federal Amazonas,
Vol. I. Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos
Naturales Renovables, Caracas, Venezuela.
Nees von Esenbeck, C. G. 1842. Cyperaceae. In C. F. P. von
Martius (editor), Flora Brasiliensis, Vol. 2(1).
Osten, C. 1931. Las Ciperáceas del Uruguay. Anales Mus.
Hist. Nat. Montevideo, Ser. 2, 3(2): 109–256.
Palla, E. 1908. Cyperaceae. In R. von Wettstein & V.
Schiffner (editors), Ergebnisse der botanischen Expedition
der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften nach
Südbrasilien 1901. 1. Pteridophyta und Anthophyta 1.
Denkschr. Kaiserl. Akad. Wiss., Wien. Math.-Naturwiss.
Kl. 79: 168–200.
Schnee, L. 1943. Las Ciperaceas del Herbario National de
Venezuela. Bol. Soc. Venez. Ci. Nat. 9(57): 1–101.
Acknowledgments. We express our sincere thanks
to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for funding
the research project ‘‘Vegetation and Ecogeographical
Differentiation of Tropical Inselbergs’’ (coordinator:
Prof. W. Barthlott) and to the Studienstiftung des
Deutschen Volkes, who financed the stay of A. Gröger
in Venezuela. SEM images were made by Wim
Vyverman (GENT) and printed by Rosette Heynderickx.
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