Scleria tessellata Willd.

18. Scleria tessellata Willd. View in CoL

Scleria tessellata Willd. (1805) 315. — Type: Willdenow 17323 ( lectotype designated here: B-W17323-010), India.

Tufted annual, completely glabrous. Culm 30–80 cm. Leaves 10–20 cm by 3–4 mm; antrorse hairs present in the distal part of the leaf; contraligule truncated, membranous, glabrous, red dotted. Inflorescence of terminal and lateral truncated panicles; laterals solitary. Spikelets unisexual or subandrogynous; glumes 5–6 mm long, straw-coloured; male flowers with two stamens. Nutlets oblong, 3–3.5 by 1.5–2 mm, regularly tessellate, white; hypogynium strongly trilobed, loosely appressed to the nutlet, yellowish brown.

Distribution — Tropical Africa, Madagascar, Australia, India and South East Asia.

Habitat & Ecology — Very common in wetlands, grasslands and rice fields ( Naczi & Ford 2008). Only two localities known in Madagascar. In Madagascar, its distribution area overlaps with S. hildebrandtii . On wet and sandy grassland, at sea level. Chermezon (1937) suggested it was introduced in Madagascar.

Conservation — Scleria tessellata is widely distributed in Tropical Africa, Madagascar, Australia, India and South East Asia, and there are no specific threats which affect this species. Therefore, it is here assessed as Least Concern.

Additional specimens. MADAGASCAR, Mahajanga,near Majunga , Apr.1908, H. Perrier de la Bâthie 2595 (K, P01888413, P01888414); ibid., Mar. 1927, H. Perrier de la Bâthie 17945 (K, TAN001257 ) .

Note — Kühn (1982) noted that this taxon originated from Madagascar, a statement totally unfounded. Scleria tessellata resembles S. hildebrandtii and S. foliosa . Scleria tessellata can be distinguished because of the oblong and reticulate nutlet, and the deeply trilobed hypogynium, lobes are oblong. The pits of S. tessellata are not as deep as in S. foliosa . It has also been misidentified as S. bambariensis Cherm. However , there is no evidence that S. bambariensis occurs in Madagascar.This misunderstanding is probably due to the incorrect identification of Perrier de la Bâthie 17945 (K) as S. bambariensis by E.A. Robinson.