Schoenoplectus muricinux (C.B. Clarke) J. Raynal, Adansonia, 1976

Verloove, Filip, Browning, Jane & Mesterházy, Attila, 2018, A reappraisal of Schoenoplectus muricinux (Cyperaceae) including S. confusus and closely allied taxa in Africa, Phytotaxa 344 (1), pp. 1-12 : 8

Schoenoplectus muricinux (C.B. Clarke) J. Raynal, Adansonia n.s. 15(4): 538. 1976.

≡ Scirpus muricinux C.B. Clarke, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 38: 135. 1906.

= Schoenoplectus confusus (N.E. Br.) Lye, Bot. Not. 124: 290. 1971. syn. nov.

≡ Scirpus confusus N.E. Br., Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1921: 300 . 1921.

= Schoenoplectus confusus subsp. natalitius Browning, S. African J. Bot. 57(5): 258, f. 3, 7. 1991. syn. nov.

= Schoenoplectus confusus var. rogersii (N.E. Br.) Lye, Nordic J. Bot. 3(2): 242. 1983. syn. nov.

≡ Schoenoplectus rogersii (N.E. Br.) Lye, Bot. Not. 124: 290. 1971.

≡ Scirpus rogersii N.E. Br., Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1921: 301 . 1921.

= Schoenoplectus muriculatus (Kük.) Browning, S. African J. Bot. 57(5): 254, f. 2, 4b, 6. 1991. syn. nov. ≡ Scirpus muriculatus Kük., Bot. Not. 1934: 75 . 1934.

= Scirpus corymbosus Roth ex Roem. & Schult. var. junciformis A. Peter, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 40(1 Anh.): 124. 1936. syn. nov.

Description

Tufted perennial. Rhizome abbreviated, woody, 2–7 mm in diameter, holding together contiguous tufted stem bases clothed with persistent erect scale leaves and leaf sheaths. Roots numerous, 0.2–1.3 mm wide. Culms (13–) 20–110 cm × 1–3.6(–5.8) mm, often compressible when dry, terete, glabrous, many-ridged. Leaf blades absent; sheaths 2–3, obliquely truncate at the top, with or without a glabrous or scabrid-margined reduced leaf blade 0.5–20 mm long. Mouth of uppermost leaf sheath at origin of reduced leaf blade 0.6–2.5 mm across, with or without a hyaline margin and a tendency to strip forming a ladder around the culm, sometimes with red or brown spots and streaks; ligule 0.3–1.8 mm high, or absent. Inflorescence a pseudo-lateral head or a contracted anthela of clusters of spikelets on 1–8 slender, unequal, scabridulous branches 10–50 mm long, overtopped by a 20–150 mm tapering bract appearing as a continuation of the culm. Spikelets sessile, 4–9(–10) mm × 2–3 mm, shortly conical or ovoid to cylindrical, many flowered, pale yellow to chestnut brown or rust colored, with or without dark brown markings. Glumes all fertile, 1.8–3(–3.5) mm × 1.5–2.5 mm, ovate, convex, glabrous, pale whitish-yellow to reddish brown, frequently green or pallid along the keel, with or without pronounced dark brown-blackish streaking forming an inverted V on the flanks, margins narrow transparent, apex acute to mucronate (mucro pale or dark, either straight or recurved with apical scabrid hairs). Lower glumes and bracts usually bearing scabrid hairs distally on keels and mucros. Perianth most often absent, if present either 4–6 well defined bristles, or very reduced in size and number. Stamens 3, anthers including minute crest 0.3–1.3 mm, oblong. Style linear, 0.5–2 mm, stigma branches 3, 1–2.3 mm long, papillate. Nutlet 1.1–1.6(–1.8) mm (from apex of beak to nutlet base) × 0.8–1.3(–1.4) mm, ovate to obovate in outline, trigonous with short beak, shining dark brown or black at maturity, surface markedly transversely wavy (rugose) with 8–16 ridges extending over the nutlet shoulders (markings visible on immature nutlets).