Kyllinga

V. P., Prasad, 2021, On the identity and occurrence of Cyperus pseudoalatus and Cyperus richardii (Cyperaceae) in India, Rheedea 31 (2), pp. 85-88 : 86-87

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.22244/rheedea.2021.31.09

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3210E751-FF82-1115-FFC3-516A1685C75B

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Kyllinga
status

 

Kyllinga View in CoL (as Killingia ) bulbosa auct. non P.Beauv. 1804: T.Koyama in Dassan., Revis. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 5: 245. 1985; V.P.Prasad & N.P.Singh, J. Econ. Taxon. Bot., Addit. Ser. 21 (Sedges Karnataka) 236. 2002. Fig. 1 View Fig

Perennials with short rhizomes. Culms tufted, up to 27 cm tall, c. 1 mm thick. Leaves 1.5–2 mm broad, minutely scabrous on the margins towards apex. Inflorescence an ovoid head of 3–5 sessile glomerules bearing numerous spikelets, 12–15 × 12–13 mm. Involucral bracts 3 or 4, the lowest up to 12 cm long, spinulose-scabrous on the margins towards apex. Central glomerule ovoid, up to 9 × 7 mm; lateral ones sub-globose, up to 6 × 6 mm. Spikelets 2.5–3 × c. 0.8 mm. Achene-bearing glume c. 2 mm long, acuminate at apex. Stamens 2; filaments elongate up to 2.5 mm; anthers oblong, c. 0.5 mm long. Style c. 0.7 mm long; stigmas slightly longer, up to 0.9 mm long. Achene laterally compressed, biconvex, oblong, c. 1.3(–1.5) × 0.5 mm, apiculate, yellowish-brown.

Notes: While describing K. pseudoalata , the authors compared it with K. eglandulosa Govind. & Ramani and the African species K. alata Nees. However , a study of the type of K. pseudoalata revealed that the characters match very well with those of C. tenuifolius ( = K. tenuifolia ), except the slightly bigger spikelets and achenes. It is not at all related to K. eglandulosa , the type of which is a short immature specimen of K. melanosperma Nees (= C.

melanospermus (Nees) Valck.Sur.) ( Prasad, 2017). Kyllinga alata , distributed in tropical and southern Africa, bears a head comprising a single glomerule, 4–6.5 mm long spikelets and 1.6–1.8 mm long blackish achenes. In contrast, the inflorescence in the type of K. pseudoalata is an ovoid head of 3–5 glomerules, spikelets 2.5–3 mm long, achenes c. 1.3(–1.5) mm long and yellowish-brown. Since almost all the characters match those of C. tenuifolius and slightly larger spikelets and achenes are only minor variations, K. pseudoalata (= C. pseudoalatus ) is treated here as a synonym of C. tenuifolius .

Kyllinga tenuifolia View in CoL is at times treated as a synonym of K. bulbosa P.Beauv. View in CoL (Prasad & Singh, 2002, 2019) or vice versa ( Karthikeyan et al., 1989). However, after checking the protologue and the accompanying illustration of K. bulbosa ( Beauvois, 1805) View in CoL , it is concluded that the plants reported from India and Sri Lanka as K. bulbosa View in CoL do not match with its type, but look like the type of K. tenuifolia View in CoL . According to the protologue, the culm is solitary in K. bulbosa View in CoL , however, the plants reported as K. bulbosa View in CoL from India (Prasad & Singh, 2002, 2019) and Sri Lanka ( Koyama, 1985) are tufted. In Cyperaceae View in CoL , solitary culms are usually found when the rhizome is creeping. Moreover, the figure in the accompanying illustration (Fig. a of Pl. VIII) of the protologue does not match the Indian plants determined as K. bulbosa View in CoL or K. tenuifolia View in CoL , particularly the bulbous base. Govaerts et al. (2021) treated K. bulbosa View in CoL as a synonym of C. richardii View in CoL . Carter et al. (2016) provided an illustration and photographs of C. richardii View in CoL showing the bulbous base of the plant and other characteristics useful for the identification of this species. In the protologue of C. richardii, Steudel (1854) View in CoL says that the spikelets are 4 or 5- flowered. However, in the Indian and Sri Lankan plants, the spikelets have only a single flower. Therefore, it is confirmed that the plants reported from India and Sri Lanka as K. bulbosa P.Beauv. View in CoL (= C. richardii Steud. View in CoL ) are likely misidentified and actually represent C. tenuifolius (Steud.) Dandy View in CoL (= K. tenuifolia Steud. View in CoL ). Hence, the occurrence of C. richardii View in CoL ( K. bulbosa View in CoL ) in India and Sri Lanka needs to be confirmed by undertaking further studies.

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Poales

Family

Cyperaceae

Loc

Kyllinga

V. P., Prasad 2021
2021
Loc

C. richardii

, Steudel 1854
1854
Loc

C. richardii

, Steudel 1854
1854
Loc

C. richardii

, Steudel 1854
1854
Loc

C. richardii Steud.

, Steudel 1854
1854
Loc

C. richardii

, Steudel 1854
1854
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