Carex lepida Boott, Ill. Gen. Carex 4: 211 (1867)

Jimenez-Mejias, Pedro, Morales-Alonso, Ana, Oleas, Nora H, Sanchez, Enmily, Martin-Bravo, Santiago, Masa-Iranzo, Irene & S. Meseguer, Andrea, 2023, New relevant chorological and conservation data on Carex (Cyperaceae) and Hypericum (Hypericaceae) from Ecuador, Biodiversity Data Journal 11, pp. 99603-99603 : 99603

Carex lepida Boott, Ill. Gen. Carex 4: 211 (1867)

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: 54ECU-AMA22 (HUTI, UPOS) ; recordNumber: 54; recordedBy: A. Morales Alonso, P. Jiménez Mejías, I. Masa Iranzo & E. Sánchez; occurrenceID: 54ECU-AMA22 (HUTI, UPOS); Taxon: scientificName: Carex lepida Boott ; Location : country: Ecuador; stateProvince: Azuay; locality: National Park Cajas ; verbatimLocality: Laguna de Llaviucu ; verbatimElevation: 3156 m; locationRemarks: Azuay. Laguna de Llaviucu , Parque Nacional Cajas , 02°05.6385'S 079°08.9762'W, 3156 m, borde de camino en bosque montano; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: P. Jiménez-Mejías; dateIdentified: 2022; Event: eventDate: Jul-31-2022; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QCA 36473 ; recordNumber: 45617; recordedBy: B. Boysen, B. Eriksen, L.P. Kvist, D. Nissen & J. Korning; occurrenceID: QCA 36473 ; Taxon: scientificName: Carex lepida Boott ; Location : country: Ecuador; stateProvince: Imbabura; verbatimLocality: Southwestern slopes of the volcano Cotacachi , near the road from Cotacachi to Selva Alegre ; verbatimElevation: 3300-3350 m; locationRemarks: Imbabura. Southwestern slopes of the volcano Cotacachi , near the road from Cotacachi to Selva Alegre , 0°21'N 78°26'W, 3300-3350 m, secondary páramo with patches of mountain forest; georeferenceProtocol: label; Event : eventDate: Nov-07-1983; habitat: secondary páramo with patches of mountain forest; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QCA 36498 , QCNE 173344 ; recordNumber: 1197; recordedBy: B. Øllgaard; occurrenceID: QCA 36498 , QCNE 173344; Taxon: scientificName: Carex lepida Boott ; Location : country: Ecuador; stateProvince: Imbabura; verbatimLocality: Road Otavalo-Lagunas de Mojanda ; verbatimElevation: 3500 m; locationRemarks: Imbabura. Road Otavalo-Lagunas de Mojanda , 0°14'N 78°20'W, 3500 m, disturbed mossy forest; georeferenceProtocol: label; Event : eventDate: Oct-21-1995; habitat: disturbed mossy forest; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QCA 36435 ; recordNumber: 54171; recordedBy: S. Lægaard; occurrenceID: QCA 36435 ; Taxon: scientificName: Carex lepida Boott ; Location : country: Ecuador; stateProvince: Pichincha; locality: Volcan Pasochoa ; verbatimLocality: above house of Fundacion Natura ; verbatimElevation: 2800-3300 m; locationRemarks: Pichincha. Volcan Pasochoa , above house of Fundacion Natura , 0°27'S 78°31'W, 2800-3300 m, grass-field, mountain forest and páramo; georeferenceProtocol: label; Event : eventDate: 27 Apr 1985; habitat: grass-field, mountain forest and páramo; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QCA 36379 , QCNE 172674 ; recordNumber: 101411; recordedBy: S. Lægaard; occurrenceID: QCA 36379 , QCNE 172674; Taxon: scientificName: Carex lepida Boott ; Location : country: Ecuador; stateProvince: Pichincha; verbatimLocality: Refugio de Vida Silvestre Pasochoa ; verbatimElevation: 3100-3400 m; locationRemarks: Pichincha. Refugio de Vida Silvestre Pasochoa , 0°21'S 78°29'W, 3100-3400 m; georeferenceProtocol: label; Event : eventDate: Feb-23-1992; habitat: bosque nublado con un estrato bajo muy denso; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QCA 36680 , QCNE 154445 ; recordNumber: s.n; recordedBy: R.Bu & SL; occurrenceID: QCA 36680 , QCNE 154445; Taxon: scientificName: Carex lepida Boott ; Location : country: Ecuador; stateProvince: Zamora-Chinchipe; locality: Cordillera de Sabanilla ; verbatimLocality: cerca de la carretera Jimbura-Zumba ; verbatimElevation: 3100 m; locationRemarks: Zamora-Chinchipe. Cordillera de Sabanilla , cerca de la carretera Jimbura-Zumba , 04°42'41''S 79°26'25''W, 3100 m, bosque nublado con un estrato bajo muy denso; georeferenceProtocol: label; Event : eventDate: Oct-23-1996; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen

Taxon discussion

Carex lepida was described in the 19th Century from Pichincha Province and remained known only from the type location until additional records were recently reported from Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru ( Jiménez-Mejías and Escudero (2016), Jiménez-Mejías and Reznicek (2018), Jiménez-Mejías et al., under review). Its systematic affinities have long remained enigmatic until it was recently placed in sect. Wheelerianae Jim.- Mejías, Martín-Bravo and Reznicek (subg. Wheelerianae Uncinia ), based on molecular phylogenetics. It is a South American endemic lineage from Andean montane forests ( García-Moro et al. 2022).

Remarkably, the species was listed in the Ecuadorian Red List of Endemic plants as critically endangered (CR), as it was known only from the type location from Pichincha volcano slopes, making its persistence there improbable due to the urban growth of Quito. A previous report of a recent collection also from Pichincha already existed (Pasochoa volcano; Jiménez-Mejías and Reznicek (2018)). Our records constitute a considerable extension of the known range of the species within Ecuador. According to all the new available data, the conservation status of the species should be revised. Additionally, it should no longer be considered endemic to Ecuador.