Perennials, tufted, long-rhizomatous or long-stoloniferous, sometimes branching
Culms with basal nodes, terete, striate, channelled or flattened
Leaves either basal or cauline, conspicuously ligulate, or eligulate; sheath with adaxial apex truncate; blade linear, setaceous or 0, with or without keeled midrib, profile V-shaped (rarely), crescentiform or elliptical
Inflorescence a spikelet, a head, a spike of spikelets, or an umbel or panicle of heads; subtending bracts foliose, sometimes scale-like, spreading or erect, bases frequently expanded, partially enveloping inflorescence
Spikelets of many, rarely few, spirally imbricate glumes, the lowest 1-few glumes empty, upper several to many bisexual, fertile, uppermost with male florets or empty
Perianth 0
Stamens 3(2)
Ovary on an obpyramidal gynophore produced into small ± fleshy angular cup with or without 2 or 3 free or partially fused lobes
Style linear, uniform, with 3(2) branches, occasionally branches rudimentary or 0
Nutlet ovoid to obovate, 3-angled, biconvex or adaxially concave, rarely dorsally compressed, smooth to rugose, shed with gynophore
Nomenclature:
Ficinia Schrad.
Schrader: 143 (1832) name conserved
Kunth: 251 (1837)
Clarke: 235 (1898)
Clarke: 759 (1900)
Clarke: 460 (1902)
Pfeiffer: 1 (1920)
Podlech: 21 (1967)
Gordon-Gray: 108 (1972)
Compton: 68 (1976)
Bond & Goldblatt: 40 (1984)
Forbes: 47 (1987)
Gordon-Gray: 81 (1995)
Melancranis Vahl
Vahl: 239 (1805)
Schrader: 49 (1832)
Kuntze: 755 (1891)
Acrolepis Schrad.
Schrader: 2066 (1821)
Kunth: 330 (1837)
Boeck.: 89 (1871/3)
Hemichlaena Schrad.
Schrader: 40 (1832)
Nees: 283 (1835)
Kunth: 330 (1837)
Boeck.: 87 (1871/3)
Pleurachne Schrad.
Schrader: 47 (1832)
Sickmannia Nees
Nees: 292 (1835)
Levyns: 117 (1950)
Schoenus L. in part
Thunberg: 16 (1794)
Schrader: 24 (1832)
Kunth: 335 (1937)
Scirpus L. in part
Thunberg: 17 (1794)
Distribution & Notes:
Global: Species ± 60, Africa, mainly southern Africa
Southern Africa: Mostly Western Cape with a few in Northern Province, Mpumalanga, Free State, Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Northern and Eastern Cape with 1 in Namibia and ± 2 reaching Tanzania
References:
BOECKELER, J.O. 1871/3. Die Cyperaceen des Königlichen Herbariums zu Berlin. Linnaea 37
BOND, P. & GOLDBLATT, P. 1984. Plants of the Cape Flora: A descriptive catalogue. Journal of South African Botany Suppl. Vol. 13
CLARKE, C.B. 1898. Cyperaceae. Flora capensis 7
CLARKE, C.B. 1900. Cyperaceae. Flora capensis 7. Addenda and corrigenda
CLARKE, C.B. 1902. Cyperaceae. Flora of tropical Africa 8
COMPTON, R.H. 1976. Cyperaceae. Flora of Swaziland. Journal of South African Botany Suppl. Vol. 11
FORBES, P.L. 1987. Cyperaceae. In T.K. Lowrey & S. Wright, The Flora of the Witwatersrand Vol. 1: The Monocotyledonae. Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg
GORDON-GRAY, K.D. 1972. Cyperaceae. In J.H. Ross, The Flora of Natal. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 39
GORDON-GRAY, K.D. 1995. Cyperaceae in Natal. Strelitzia 2
THUNBERG, C.P. 1794. Prodromus plantarum capensium: 16, 17. Edman, Uppsala.
VAHL, M. 1805. Cyperaceae. Enumeratio plantarum 2. N. Möller & Sons, Copenhagen
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