Cyperus tonkinensis C.B.Clarke var. baikiei (C.B.Clarke ex Kuek ) S.S.Hooper, Kew Bull. 26 (3): 577 (1972)

Kuetegue, Felix, Sonke, Bonaventure & Ameka, Gabriel K., 2019, A checklist of rheophytes of Cameroon, PhytoKeys 121, pp. 81-131 : 81

Cyperus tonkinensis C.B.Clarke var. baikiei (C.B.Clarke ex Kuek) S.S.Hooper, Kew Bull. 26 (3): 577 (1972)

Cyperus baikiei C.B.Clarke, Consp. Fl. Afr. [T.A. Durand & H. Schinz] 5: 550 (1894)

Cyperus kottensis Chem. Arch. Bot., Caen iv. Mem. No. 7, 23 (1931)

Type.

Vietnam, Tonkin, Tu-Phap, 12 Apr 1888, Balansa 2831 (K).

Description.

Herb, about 12 cm high, with hard tubers, connected by dark brown rhizome; stems dark brown and shiny; inflorescence spikelets, glumes brown.

Specimens examined.

62 km southeast of Bafia, on Sanaga River, 4°75'N, 11°22'E, 27 Mar 1963, J. & A. Raynal 10538 (YA); Sanaga River, bridge near Nkong Njok, 4°10'N, 11°01'E, 12 Mar 1978, J. Lowe 3483 (YA); Bongossi Research Plot of the National Herbarium of Cameroon, bank of Sanaga River, 4°22'N, 11°16'E, 29 Mar 1987, L. Ake Asse 1859 (YA); near Nguti, Mbombe on Loa River, 29 May 2011, F. Kuetegue, 498 (YA).

Habitat.

Sandy bars or beds of streams and rivers.

Distribution.

Benin, Cameroon (Fig. 10 ), Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

Conservation status in Cameroon.

Cyperus tonkinensis var. baikiei is not listed on http://www.iucnredlist.org nor assessed by Onana and Cheek (2011). The taxon is currently known from five localities. The extent of occurrence of this species is about 800 km2 and the area of occupancy is about 20 km2. Construction of a hydropower dam on the Sanaga River from which the species was collected is in progress. Based on this threat and the fact that the species is only currently known from five localities, C. tonkinensis var. baikiei is here assessed as Endangered. IUCN Red List Category: Endangered ENB1+2ab (ii, iii).

Figures

Figures 2 - 10. 2 Bolbitis fluviatilis (Hook.) Ching 3 Bolbitis heudelotii (Bory ex Fee) Alston 4 Lepidagathis alopecuroides R. Br. ex Griseb. 5 Achyranthes talbotii Hutch & Daziel 6 Crinum natans Baker 7 Kanahia laniflora (Forssk.) R. Br. 8 Anubias barteri Schott 9 Cyperus rheophyticus Lye 10 Cyperus tonkinensis C. B. Clarke var. baikiei (C. B. Clarke ex Kuk) S. S. Hooper.