taxonID	type	description	language	source
F37A87CD297F6820216FBB17FAE8A59B.taxon	description	46 Scleria lithosperma var. lithosperma: an addition to the flora of Nepal glabrous, brown to rusty brown. Nutlets obtusely trigonous, obovoid-ellipsoid, 2.5 – 3 × 1.5 – 1.8 mm, base cuneate into trigonous structure, apex umbonulate, shiny, smooth, glabrous, white. Hypogynium reduced to a very narrow annular ring, adnate to extreme nut base, brownish. Flowering and fruiting: Flowering from August to November; fruiting from September to November. Habitat: This species was found growing in dry soil, in sloping, forested areas in the Chure Hills of Nepal. It was collected from both Shorea robusta C. F. Gaertn. (Dipterocarpaceae) mixed forest forest and Terminalia anogeissiana Gere & Boatwr. (Combretaceae) dominated forest. Distribution: It is a very widespread species, native to the tropics and subtropics. In Asia, it is distributed in Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal (present record), Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Further, it is also found on islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as in tropical regions of Africa, America, and Australia (Zhang et al., 2010). Specimens examined: NEPAL, Madhesh province, Dhanusha district, N 26.909 °, E 86.199 °, 280 m, 07.09.2023, K. Joshi, S. G. C., Y. B. Poudel, N. P. Ghimire & Y. Uprety FCM- 198 (KATH, TUCH); Saptari district, N 26.667 °, E 86.825 °, 178 m, 09.09.2023, K. Joshi, S. G. C., Y. B. Poudel, N. P. Ghimire, & Y. Uprety FCM- 342 (KATH, TUCH). Notes: The true homology of the hypogynium in Scleria is still not resolved, and the presence or absence of this structure in S. subgen. Hypoporum is still rather unclear (Bauters, 2018). The description of Scleria lithosperma var. lithosperma presented in this paper is based on only two specimens collected from the Chure region of Madhesh province, Nepal. Further investigation of the species in similar habitats in the Chure region, including the lowlands of Nepal, is necessary to document its detailed morphology and distribution in Nepal. Given that the Cyperaceae are undercollected in Nepal (Bhandari et al., 2021), more botanical exploration in Nepal could widen the distribution of S. lithosperma var. lithosperma. The typical variety of Scleria lithosperma differs from the heterotypic variety, Scleria lithosperma var. linearis, by its smooth nutlets. Nutlets in S. lithosperma var. linearis are transversely rugose or irregularly somewhat reticulate with wavy ridges (Zhang et al., 2010). A morphological comparison of S. lithosperma var. lithosperma and another Nepalese species of S. subgen. Hypoporum, i. e., S. pergracilis, is provided in Table 1. In addition to the morphological differences, these two taxa also have differences in their known distribution range in Nepal. S. pergracilis has been collected from the Mid Hills, between the elevation range of 1200 – 1800 m (Shrestha et al., 2022), and S. lithosperma var. lithosperma from the Chure Hills, between the elevation range of 178 – 280 m (present record).	en	K., Joshi, G. C., Sandip, Y. B., Poudel, N. P., Ghimire, Abstract, S. Rajbhandary, It, Nepal. (2024): Scleria lithosperma var. lithosperma (Cyperaceae): an addition to the flora of Nepal. Rheedea 34 (1): 45-49, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.01.04, URL: https://doi.org/10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.01.04
