Cyperaceae taxon details
Carex huehueteca Standl. & Steyerm.
1676435 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:1676435)
accepted
Species
terrestrial
Standley, P. C.; Steyermark, J. A. (1947). Studies of Central American Plants—VII. In: Field Museum of Natural History (ed.). Publications of the Field Museum of Natural History. Botanical Series. Vol. 23(5): 195-265., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2389147#page/11/mode/1up
page(s): 195 [details]
page(s): 195 [details]
Holotype F 0361337, geounit Guatemala
Holotype F 0361337, geounit Guatemala [details]
Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots pale brown, felted with yellow root hairs when young; fertile culms 55-95 cm...
Description Densamente cespitosas, sin rizomas reptantes. Tallos c. 60 cm, delgados, obtusamente trígonos, lisos. Hojas mucho más...
Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots pale brown, felted with yellow root hairs when young; fertile culms 55-95 cm tall, trigonous, smooth, with glabrous, reddish purple, bladeless basal sheaths. Leaves 5-7, mostly basal; blades 12-28 cm long, 8-16.5 mm wide, plicate to flat, glabrous, the margins smooth; leaf sheaths 2.7-8 cm long, loosely enveloping culms, glabrous, purple-tinged; inner band of sheaths purple-tinged, friable and hyaline near apex, glabrous, the apex concave to truncate and short prolonged; ligules 1.5-4 mm long, rounded to truncate, the free portion purple-tinged. Vegetative shoots unknown. Inflorescences 39-65 cm long, with the upper spikes strongly overlapping and the lowest two spikes 10-19 cm distant; spikes single at nodes, with all but the upper pendulous on filiform, flexuous, smooth peduncles; lowermost spikes with peduncles 9.5-14.5 cm long, the uppermost lateral spikes with peduncles 0.7-1.1 cm long; lowermost bracts with blades 16-25 cm long and 6.7-10.2 mm wide and sheaths 3.9-6.1 cm long, green, purple-tinged at base, the uppermost bracts much reduced. Spikes 7-9, androgynous. Terminal spikes 3.4-5.6 cm long; staminate portion 1.4-1.8 cm long, 1.8-2.5 mm wide, ca. 15-20-flowered; pistillate portion 2-3.8 cm long, ca. 4 mm wide, 13-18-flowered; peduncles ca. 11-13 mm long. Lateral spikes 2-8 cm long, the lower 2-3 spikes often compound, with secondary spikes single, androgynous, up to 2.5-(-4) cm long; staminate portion of lateral spikes 0.5-1.9 cm long, 3-23-flowered; pistillate portion of lateral spikes 1.5-6.3 cm long, 12-35-flowered. Pistillate scales 3.8-7.2 mm long, 1.4-2.2 mm wide, ovate to oblong, obtuse to truncate, with a scabrous-ciliate awn 1.1-4.7 mm long, glabrous, pale reddish purple with green center, 3-veined. Staminate scales 4.2-6.8 mm long, 1.6-2.1 mm wide, ovate, emarginate to acute, with a scabrous-ciliate awn 0.3-1.2 mm long, glabrous, stramineous with a reddish brown center, 3-veined. Perigynia 3.2-4.7 mm long, 0.9-1.3 mm wide, appressed and outcurved, trigonous with concave, lanceolate sides, green suffused with reddish purple or sometimes wholly reddish purple, glabrous, sessile, 7-13-veined with 2 veins ± prominent and the rest faint, gradually tapering to apex, the apex truncate to irregularly bidentulate with teeth to 0.2 mm long. Achene ca. 1.5-2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, trigonous with ± flat, obovate sides, tightly enveloped by the perigynium, brown, sessile. Styles withering; stigmas 3. Anthers 3, ca. 1.8-1.9 mm long. [details]
Description Densamente cespitosas, sin rizomas reptantes. Tallos c. 60 cm, delgados, obtusamente trígonos, lisos. Hojas mucho más...
Description Densamente cespitosas, sin rizomas reptantes. Tallos c. 60 cm, delgados, obtusamente trígonos, lisos. Hojas mucho más cortas que los tallos, las más anchas 11-17 mm de ancho, aplanadas, verdes; lígula 1.5-4 mm, mucho más corta que ancha. Espigas c. 7, la mayor 30-45 x c. 5 mm, las inferiores péndulas en pedúnculos largos filiformes y distantes, a veces compuestas, la terminal estaminada, las laterales pistiladas o a veces estaminadas en el ápice; bráctea más baja casi tan larga como la espiga, foliiforme, con una vaina de por lo menos 10 mm. Glumas pistiladas más cortas que los utrículos, ovadas, pero con una arista hasta 5 mm, pardo-verdoso pálido. Utrículos c. 3.5 mm, elipsoide-lanceolados, pardo-verdosos, marcadamente nervados, angostándose gradualmente en un rostro, el rostro inconspicuo, emarginado. Estigmas 3. Carex huehueteca es conocida sólo por el ejemplar tipo. [details]
Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Carex huehueteca Standl. & Steyerm.. Accessed at: https://cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1676435 on 2026-06-29
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Nomenclature
original description
Standley, P. C.; Steyermark, J. A. (1947). Studies of Central American Plants—VII. In: Field Museum of Natural History (ed.). Publications of the Field Museum of Natural History. Botanical Series. Vol. 23(5): 195-265., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2389147#page/11/mode/1up
page(s): 195 [details]
page(s): 195 [details]
Other
additional source
Chater, A. O. (1994). <i>Carex</i> L. In: G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez & A. O. Chater (eds.) Flora Mesoamericana. Vol. 6: Alismataceae a Cyperaceae, 464-473., available online at https://legacy.tropicos.org/Project/FM
page(s): 470 [details]
additional source Hermann, F. J. (1974). Manual of the genus <i>Carex</i> in Mexico and Central America. IV, pp. 219 p. Forest Service, U.S.Dept. Agric., Washington.
page(s): 140; note: As *huehuetica [details] Available for editors
[request]
additional source Reznicek, A. A. (1986). The Taxonomy of <i>Carex</i> sect. <i>Hymenochlaenae</i> (Cyperaceae) in Mexico and Central America. <em>Systematic Botany.</em> 11(1): 56-87., available online at https://doi.org/10.2307/2418947
page(s): 70 [details] Available for editors [request]
page(s): 470 [details]
additional source Hermann, F. J. (1974). Manual of the genus <i>Carex</i> in Mexico and Central America. IV, pp. 219 p. Forest Service, U.S.Dept. Agric., Washington.
page(s): 140; note: As *huehuetica [details] Available for editors
[request]additional source Reznicek, A. A. (1986). The Taxonomy of <i>Carex</i> sect. <i>Hymenochlaenae</i> (Cyperaceae) in Mexico and Central America. <em>Systematic Botany.</em> 11(1): 56-87., available online at https://doi.org/10.2307/2418947
page(s): 70 [details] Available for editors
[request]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Holotype F 0361337, geounit Guatemala [details]
From editor or global species database
Biology Fruit probably matures in late May or early June. [details]Comparison Carex huehueteca is clearly an ally of C. steyermarkii as noted by Standley and Steyermark (1947). In addition to the differences between these two species noted in the key, C. huehueteca has much more loosely flowered spikes, the perigynia appear to have concave sides, and the anthers are only ca. 1.8-1.9 mm long. [details]
Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots pale brown, felted with yellow root hairs when young; fertile culms 55-95 cm tall, trigonous, smooth, with glabrous, reddish purple, bladeless basal sheaths. Leaves 5-7, mostly basal; blades 12-28 cm long, 8-16.5 mm wide, plicate to flat, glabrous, the margins smooth; leaf sheaths 2.7-8 cm long, loosely enveloping culms, glabrous, purple-tinged; inner band of sheaths purple-tinged, friable and hyaline near apex, glabrous, the apex concave to truncate and short prolonged; ligules 1.5-4 mm long, rounded to truncate, the free portion purple-tinged. Vegetative shoots unknown. Inflorescences 39-65 cm long, with the upper spikes strongly overlapping and the lowest two spikes 10-19 cm distant; spikes single at nodes, with all but the upper pendulous on filiform, flexuous, smooth peduncles; lowermost spikes with peduncles 9.5-14.5 cm long, the uppermost lateral spikes with peduncles 0.7-1.1 cm long; lowermost bracts with blades 16-25 cm long and 6.7-10.2 mm wide and sheaths 3.9-6.1 cm long, green, purple-tinged at base, the uppermost bracts much reduced. Spikes 7-9, androgynous. Terminal spikes 3.4-5.6 cm long; staminate portion 1.4-1.8 cm long, 1.8-2.5 mm wide, ca. 15-20-flowered; pistillate portion 2-3.8 cm long, ca. 4 mm wide, 13-18-flowered; peduncles ca. 11-13 mm long. Lateral spikes 2-8 cm long, the lower 2-3 spikes often compound, with secondary spikes single, androgynous, up to 2.5-(-4) cm long; staminate portion of lateral spikes 0.5-1.9 cm long, 3-23-flowered; pistillate portion of lateral spikes 1.5-6.3 cm long, 12-35-flowered. Pistillate scales 3.8-7.2 mm long, 1.4-2.2 mm wide, ovate to oblong, obtuse to truncate, with a scabrous-ciliate awn 1.1-4.7 mm long, glabrous, pale reddish purple with green center, 3-veined. Staminate scales 4.2-6.8 mm long, 1.6-2.1 mm wide, ovate, emarginate to acute, with a scabrous-ciliate awn 0.3-1.2 mm long, glabrous, stramineous with a reddish brown center, 3-veined. Perigynia 3.2-4.7 mm long, 0.9-1.3 mm wide, appressed and outcurved, trigonous with concave, lanceolate sides, green suffused with reddish purple or sometimes wholly reddish purple, glabrous, sessile, 7-13-veined with 2 veins ± prominent and the rest faint, gradually tapering to apex, the apex truncate to irregularly bidentulate with teeth to 0.2 mm long. Achene ca. 1.5-2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, trigonous with ± flat, obovate sides, tightly enveloped by the perigynium, brown, sessile. Styles withering; stigmas 3. Anthers 3, ca. 1.8-1.9 mm long. [details]
Description Densamente cespitosas, sin rizomas reptantes. Tallos c. 60 cm, delgados, obtusamente trígonos, lisos. Hojas mucho más cortas que los tallos, las más anchas 11-17 mm de ancho, aplanadas, verdes; lígula 1.5-4 mm, mucho más corta que ancha. Espigas c. 7, la mayor 30-45 x c. 5 mm, las inferiores péndulas en pedúnculos largos filiformes y distantes, a veces compuestas, la terminal estaminada, las laterales pistiladas o a veces estaminadas en el ápice; bráctea más baja casi tan larga como la espiga, foliiforme, con una vaina de por lo menos 10 mm. Glumas pistiladas más cortas que los utrículos, ovadas, pero con una arista hasta 5 mm, pardo-verdoso pálido. Utrículos c. 3.5 mm, elipsoide-lanceolados, pardo-verdosos, marcadamente nervados, angostándose gradualmente en un rostro, el rostro inconspicuo, emarginado. Estigmas 3. Carex huehueteca es conocida sólo por el ejemplar tipo. [details]
Holotype Carex huehueteca is known only from the type locality. The holotype was collected along a stream. The holotype and only known specimen of Carex huehueteca is in such poor condition that the drawing (fig. 8) involved significant reconstruction, especially of the pistillate portions of the spikes. Very few perigynia remained on the sheet, and those remaining were securely imbedded in glue. Ranges of perigynia and achene measurements are thus tentative. Additional collections of this species are much needed. [details]
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (5 publications)
To Field Museum Herbarium (Carex huehueteca Standl. & Steyerm. F1128957 holotype 1)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To Plants of the World Online
To Field Museum Herbarium (Carex huehueteca Standl. & Steyerm. F1128957 holotype 1)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To Plants of the World Online
From editor or global species database
Hosted externally
