Cyperaceae taxon details
Carex complanata subsp. tropicalis Reznicek & S.González
1699789 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:1699789)
accepted
Subspecies
terrestrial
Reznicek, A. A.; González-Elizondo, M. S. (2001). <i>Carex</i> section <i>Porocystis</i> (Cyperaceae) in Mexico and Central America. <em>Contributions From The University of Michigan Herbarium.</em> 23: 339-348., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12698671#page/347/mode/1up
page(s): 344 [details]
page(s): 344 [details]
Holotype MICH 1210073, geounit Chiapas
Holotype MICH 1210073, geounit Chiapas [details]
Description Densely cespitose from hard rhizomes rarely more than 0.5 cm long between shoots, forming small to large clumps; fertile...
Description Densely cespitose from hard rhizomes rarely more than 0.5 cm long between shoots, forming small to large clumps; fertile culms (20-) 35–86 cm long, stiff, erect to spreading, trigonous, 0.45–1.1 mm wide ca. 1 cm below the inflorescence, the angles acute, prominent, smooth or minutely scabrous; bladeless basal sheaths dark purple or purple-tinged, becoming ruptured and somewhat fibrillous. Leaves 5–10, on the lower 1/4 of the culms; blades 15–38 cm long, 1.5–3.5 (–4) mm wide, flat, rarely conduplicate, nearly glabrous or scabrous to short-pilose distally and at the lower parts; leaf sheaths 2.5–16 cm long, tight, pale-green, dorsally glabrous or very sparsely short-pilose, the inner band whitish or pale-brown, short-pilose to hirsute, paler, sometimes red-dotted, membranous, hyaline and easily ruptured, the apex truncate to concave, ciliate; ligules shorter than wide, 0.5–1.4 mm long, the free portion 0.3–0.5 mm wide, ciliate, whitish to brownish or reddish. Inflorescences 1–2.9 cm long, spikes 2–5, overlapping, single at nodes, sessile or nearly so; bracts the lowest bracts 0.8–8.8 cm long, 0.4–2.2 mm wide, usually exceeding the terminal spike, sheathless or with a sheath up to 2.5 mm long, the upper bracts much reduced, setiform; terminal spike gynaecandrous with an ovoid to ovoid-cylindrical pistillate portion 5–13 mm long and (4.4–) 4.8–7.3 mm broad, the staminate portion 3–7 mm long, short-obconic; lateral spikes pistillate, ovoid to cylindrical, 4–14 mm long, 4.3–6 mm wide, sessile or very short-peduncled, with 7 to 70 perigynia. Pistillate scales (1.4–) 1.6–2.8 (–3.3) mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, 1.3–2.5 times as long as wide, ovate, narrower and shorter than or more or less equaling the perigynia, obtuse to acuminate, often short-awned or minutely cuspidate, the longest awns 0.1–0.5 (–0.8) mm long, the lower more strongly acuminate than the upper, glabrous, stramineous hyaline to brownish hyaline with a green, stramineous or pale brown 3-nerved center, the center smooth or sparsely and minutely scabrous; staminate scales 2.3–4 (–4.6) mm long, 1–1.8 (–2) mm wide, 1.8–3.1 times as long as wide, ovate, acute to acuminate, stramineous to brownish hyaline with a green, stramineous, or pale brown 3–5-nerved center. Perigynia 2–2.8 mm long, 1.2–1.9 mm wide, widest at 1–1.5 mm below apex, ascending, triangular to flattened-triangular or unequally biconvex, obovoid, glabrous (rarely minutely scabrous on the angles), firm-membranous, not inflated, olive-brown to brown, 2-ribbed, with several weak nerves that are inconspicuous at full maturity, the perigynia tapering to the base and to the apex, beakless, with a nearly entire, inconspicuous orifice. Achenes 1.7–2.2 mm long, 1.2–1.5 mm wide, trigonous, obovoid to ovoid, yellowish to brown, puncticulate, sessile to short-pedicellate, bent-apiculate. Style withering; stigmas 3. Anthers 3, 1.5–1.9 mm long. [details]
Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Carex complanata subsp. tropicalis Reznicek & S.González. Accessed at: https://www.cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1699789 on 2026-08-12
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Nomenclature
original description
Reznicek, A. A.; González-Elizondo, M. S. (2001). <i>Carex</i> section <i>Porocystis</i> (Cyperaceae) in Mexico and Central America. <em>Contributions From The University of Michigan Herbarium.</em> 23: 339-348., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12698671#page/347/mode/1up
page(s): 344 [details]
page(s): 344 [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Holotype MICH 1210073, geounit Chiapas [details]
From editor or global species database
Additional information Carex complanata subsp. tropicalis is found in Chiapas and Guatemala in moist, shrubby openings and on steep slopes of mesophytic pine-oak forests from 1600 to 2800 m. Flowering and fruiting occur all year long. Subspecies tropicalis appears to be a plant of successional openings. It forms robust, spreading clumps with many culms in recent clearings and other disturbed open areas. In denser or shadier sites, it occurs as smaller clumps with few, lax culms, sometimes erect or leaning on other vegetation. [details]Description Densely cespitose from hard rhizomes rarely more than 0.5 cm long between shoots, forming small to large clumps; fertile culms (20-) 35–86 cm long, stiff, erect to spreading, trigonous, 0.45–1.1 mm wide ca. 1 cm below the inflorescence, the angles acute, prominent, smooth or minutely scabrous; bladeless basal sheaths dark purple or purple-tinged, becoming ruptured and somewhat fibrillous. Leaves 5–10, on the lower 1/4 of the culms; blades 15–38 cm long, 1.5–3.5 (–4) mm wide, flat, rarely conduplicate, nearly glabrous or scabrous to short-pilose distally and at the lower parts; leaf sheaths 2.5–16 cm long, tight, pale-green, dorsally glabrous or very sparsely short-pilose, the inner band whitish or pale-brown, short-pilose to hirsute, paler, sometimes red-dotted, membranous, hyaline and easily ruptured, the apex truncate to concave, ciliate; ligules shorter than wide, 0.5–1.4 mm long, the free portion 0.3–0.5 mm wide, ciliate, whitish to brownish or reddish. Inflorescences 1–2.9 cm long, spikes 2–5, overlapping, single at nodes, sessile or nearly so; bracts the lowest bracts 0.8–8.8 cm long, 0.4–2.2 mm wide, usually exceeding the terminal spike, sheathless or with a sheath up to 2.5 mm long, the upper bracts much reduced, setiform; terminal spike gynaecandrous with an ovoid to ovoid-cylindrical pistillate portion 5–13 mm long and (4.4–) 4.8–7.3 mm broad, the staminate portion 3–7 mm long, short-obconic; lateral spikes pistillate, ovoid to cylindrical, 4–14 mm long, 4.3–6 mm wide, sessile or very short-peduncled, with 7 to 70 perigynia. Pistillate scales (1.4–) 1.6–2.8 (–3.3) mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, 1.3–2.5 times as long as wide, ovate, narrower and shorter than or more or less equaling the perigynia, obtuse to acuminate, often short-awned or minutely cuspidate, the longest awns 0.1–0.5 (–0.8) mm long, the lower more strongly acuminate than the upper, glabrous, stramineous hyaline to brownish hyaline with a green, stramineous or pale brown 3-nerved center, the center smooth or sparsely and minutely scabrous; staminate scales 2.3–4 (–4.6) mm long, 1–1.8 (–2) mm wide, 1.8–3.1 times as long as wide, ovate, acute to acuminate, stramineous to brownish hyaline with a green, stramineous, or pale brown 3–5-nerved center. Perigynia 2–2.8 mm long, 1.2–1.9 mm wide, widest at 1–1.5 mm below apex, ascending, triangular to flattened-triangular or unequally biconvex, obovoid, glabrous (rarely minutely scabrous on the angles), firm-membranous, not inflated, olive-brown to brown, 2-ribbed, with several weak nerves that are inconspicuous at full maturity, the perigynia tapering to the base and to the apex, beakless, with a nearly entire, inconspicuous orifice. Achenes 1.7–2.2 mm long, 1.2–1.5 mm wide, trigonous, obovoid to ovoid, yellowish to brown, puncticulate, sessile to short-pedicellate, bent-apiculate. Style withering; stigmas 3. Anthers 3, 1.5–1.9 mm long. [details]
