Cyperaceae taxon details
Carex mackenziana Weath.
1677582 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:1677582)
accepted
Species
terrestrial
Weatherby, C. A. (1936). A new Mexican <i>Carex</i>. <em>Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University.</em> 114: 36-37., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39781976#page/125/mode/1up
page(s): 36 [details]
page(s): 36 [details]
Holotype GH 00027511, geounit Nuevo León
Holotype GH 00027511, geounit Nuevo León [details]
Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots greyish brown to dark brown, not densely felted with root hairs; fertile culms...
Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots greyish brown to dark brown, not densely felted with root hairs; fertile culms 75–117 cm tall, trigonous, smooth, with glabrous, reddish purple, bladeless basal sheaths with stramineous veins. Leaves 5–8, mostly basal; blades 11–34 cm long, 3.4–7.7 mm wide, plicate, +- hispidulous on adaxial surface just above ligule, otherwise smooth, the margins antrorsely scabrous, the widest leaves 5.8–7.7 mm wide; leaf sheaths 5–12.5 cm long, tightly enveloping culms, glabrous, reddish purple at base; inner band of sheaths pale brown, faintly dotted with darker brown and with a fine tracery of veins near apex, glabrous, the apex concave to “V”-shaped; ligules 0.8–3.5 mm long, rounded, often vestigial on upper leaves. Vegetative shoots 25–34 cm tall; leaves 4–6, similar to those of fertile culms; pseudoculms ca. 3.5 cm tall. Inflorescences 29.5–48 cm long, with the upper spikes overlapping and the lowest 2 spikes 11–24 cm distant; spikes single at nodes, with all but the upper pendulous on filiform, flexuous, smooth peduncles; lowermost spikes with peduncles 6.3–10.5 cm long, the uppermost lateral spikes sessile or nearly so; lowermost bracts with blades 7.5–11.5 cm long and 2.2–4.1 mm wide and sheaths 4.8–7.1 mm long, the uppermost bracts much reduced. Spikes 4–6, the terminal staminate or sometimes staminate proximally and distally and pistillate in the middle, the lateral androgynous. Terminal spikes 3.8–5.8 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, ca. 85–140-flowered if staminate, otherwise the staminate portion 1.2–2.5 cm long and 13–30-flowered proximally, 1.7–2.3 cm long and 45–70-flowered distally, the pistillate middle portion 0.8–1.2 cm long, 5.1–6.9 mm wide, 15–20-flowered; peduncles 4–17 mm long. Lateral spikes 3.4–5.5 cm long; staminate portion 0.4–1.6 cm long, ca. 8–40-flowered; pistillate portion 2.5–3.9 cm long, 35–60-flowered. Pistillate scales 2.8–5.2 mm long, 1.6–2.4 mm wide, ovate to obovate, obtuse to acuminate, glabrous, stramineous with hyaline margins distally, 3(–5)-veined. Staminate scales 3.5–7 mm long, 1.4–2.2 mm wide, oblong to oblanceolate, obtuse to acute, glabrous, stramineous with hyaline margins distally, 3(–5)-veined. Perigynia 2.4–4.2 mm long, 1.5–2.1 mm wide, ascending to spreading when fully mature, +- flattened-trigonous with concave, broadly ovate to broadly elliptic sides, stramineous, finely pubescent on distal 1/3 to 2/3 of body with sparse, stiff hairs, sessile, 5–12-veined with 2 veins prominent and the rest faint, contracted into a beak; beaks 0.4–0.75 mm long, stramineous, hispidulous, the apex obscurely bidentulate with teeth up to 0.3 mm long. Achene 2–2.6 mm long, 1.4–1.7 mm wide, flattened-trigonous with concave, obovate sides, loosely enveloped by the perigynium, pale brown, short-stipitate. Styles withering; stigmas 3. Anthers 3, 2.3–3.6 mm long. [details]
Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Carex mackenziana Weath.. Accessed at: https://www.cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1677582 on 2026-06-26
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Nomenclature
original description
Weatherby, C. A. (1936). A new Mexican <i>Carex</i>. <em>Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University.</em> 114: 36-37., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39781976#page/125/mode/1up
page(s): 36 [details]
page(s): 36 [details]
Other
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): 136 [details] Available for editors
[request]
additional source Reznicek, A. A. (1990). Four new species of <i>Carex</i> (Cyperaceae) from Mexico, with notes on the Mexican <i>Carex</i> flora. <em>Contributions from the University of Michigan Herbarium.</em> 17: 279-293., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12875279#page/288/mode/1up
page(s): 279 [details]
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): 61 [details] Available for editors [request]
page(s): 136 [details] Available for editors
[request]additional source Reznicek, A. A. (1990). Four new species of <i>Carex</i> (Cyperaceae) from Mexico, with notes on the Mexican <i>Carex</i> flora. <em>Contributions from the University of Michigan Herbarium.</em> 17: 279-293., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12875279#page/288/mode/1up
page(s): 279 [details]
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): 61 [details] Available for editors
[request]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Holotype GH 00027511, geounit Nuevo León [details]
From editor or global species database
Additional information Carex mackenziana Weath., known from only a single 1934 collection from Nuevo León, was long considered a morphologically and geographically isolated species. A poor 1952 collection from Tamaulipas of a nearly sterile specimen similar to C. mackenziana, but differing in a number of significant features, complicated the situation (Reznicek 1986). An immature 1968 specimen belonging to the same species and from the same area in Tamaulipas unfortunately did little to help resolve the problem. The range of the C. mackenziana complex was extended to Chiapas by an excellent 1981 collection of a clearcut new species. In 1989, I was able to visit the Tamaulipas locality to study in the field and obtain better collections of that poorly known plant. Mature, fertile material that could be compared accurately with both C. mackenziana and the Chiapas plant showed that all three were distinct species, though similar morphologically and presumably closely related. The Chiapas and Tamaulipas collections are described and discussed below, and a key is here provided to separate these three species [C. caeligena, C. pubigluma, C. mackenziana]. This key fits directly under the first lead of couplet 2 in the key in Reznicek (1986), as these are the only pubescent-fruited members of Carex sect. Hymenochlanae (Drejer) L. Bailey known from the Neotropics. [details]Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots greyish brown to dark brown, not densely felted with root hairs; fertile culms 75–117 cm tall, trigonous, smooth, with glabrous, reddish purple, bladeless basal sheaths with stramineous veins. Leaves 5–8, mostly basal; blades 11–34 cm long, 3.4–7.7 mm wide, plicate, +- hispidulous on adaxial surface just above ligule, otherwise smooth, the margins antrorsely scabrous, the widest leaves 5.8–7.7 mm wide; leaf sheaths 5–12.5 cm long, tightly enveloping culms, glabrous, reddish purple at base; inner band of sheaths pale brown, faintly dotted with darker brown and with a fine tracery of veins near apex, glabrous, the apex concave to “V”-shaped; ligules 0.8–3.5 mm long, rounded, often vestigial on upper leaves. Vegetative shoots 25–34 cm tall; leaves 4–6, similar to those of fertile culms; pseudoculms ca. 3.5 cm tall. Inflorescences 29.5–48 cm long, with the upper spikes overlapping and the lowest 2 spikes 11–24 cm distant; spikes single at nodes, with all but the upper pendulous on filiform, flexuous, smooth peduncles; lowermost spikes with peduncles 6.3–10.5 cm long, the uppermost lateral spikes sessile or nearly so; lowermost bracts with blades 7.5–11.5 cm long and 2.2–4.1 mm wide and sheaths 4.8–7.1 mm long, the uppermost bracts much reduced. Spikes 4–6, the terminal staminate or sometimes staminate proximally and distally and pistillate in the middle, the lateral androgynous. Terminal spikes 3.8–5.8 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, ca. 85–140-flowered if staminate, otherwise the staminate portion 1.2–2.5 cm long and 13–30-flowered proximally, 1.7–2.3 cm long and 45–70-flowered distally, the pistillate middle portion 0.8–1.2 cm long, 5.1–6.9 mm wide, 15–20-flowered; peduncles 4–17 mm long. Lateral spikes 3.4–5.5 cm long; staminate portion 0.4–1.6 cm long, ca. 8–40-flowered; pistillate portion 2.5–3.9 cm long, 35–60-flowered. Pistillate scales 2.8–5.2 mm long, 1.6–2.4 mm wide, ovate to obovate, obtuse to acuminate, glabrous, stramineous with hyaline margins distally, 3(–5)-veined. Staminate scales 3.5–7 mm long, 1.4–2.2 mm wide, oblong to oblanceolate, obtuse to acute, glabrous, stramineous with hyaline margins distally, 3(–5)-veined. Perigynia 2.4–4.2 mm long, 1.5–2.1 mm wide, ascending to spreading when fully mature, +- flattened-trigonous with concave, broadly ovate to broadly elliptic sides, stramineous, finely pubescent on distal 1/3 to 2/3 of body with sparse, stiff hairs, sessile, 5–12-veined with 2 veins prominent and the rest faint, contracted into a beak; beaks 0.4–0.75 mm long, stramineous, hispidulous, the apex obscurely bidentulate with teeth up to 0.3 mm long. Achene 2–2.6 mm long, 1.4–1.7 mm wide, flattened-trigonous with concave, obovate sides, loosely enveloped by the perigynium, pale brown, short-stipitate. Styles withering; stigmas 3. Anthers 3, 2.3–3.6 mm long. [details]
Ecology Carex mackenziana is known from the Sierra Madre Oriental of Nuevo León. It fruits in late June and July and grows in moist oak forest. The elevation of the type locality is about 2000–2500 m. [details]
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (3 publications)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To Plants of the World Online
To US Herbarium (Carex mackenziana US1746479 type 1)
To US Herbarium (Carex mackenziana US3200216 type 1)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To Plants of the World Online
To US Herbarium (Carex mackenziana US1746479 type 1)
To US Herbarium (Carex mackenziana US3200216 type 1)
From editor or global species database
Hosted externally
Hosted externally
