e-Key v3 - Ficinia
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Cyperaceae - Cyperoideae - Scirpeae - Ficinia Schrad.

Description :

  • 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
  • KUNTH, C.S. 1837. Enumeratio plantarum 2. J.G: 251, 330. Cotta, Stuttgart & Tübingen
  • KUNTH, C.S. 1837. Enumeratio plantarum 2. J.G. Cotta, Stuttgart & Tübingen
  • KUNTZE, O. 1891. Revisio generum plantarum 2. Arthur Felix, Leipzig
  • LEVYNS, M.R. 1950. Cyperaceae . In R.S. Adamson & T.M. Salter, Flora of the Cape Peninsula . Juta, Cape Town
  • NEES VON ESENBECK, C.G. 1835. Uebersicht der Cyperaceengattungen. Linnaea 9
  • PFEIFFER, H. 1920. Revision der Gattung Ficinia Schrad . E. Gerst, Bremen
  • PODLECH, D. 1967. Cyperaceae . Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 165
  • SCHRADER, H.A. 1821. Acrolepis . Goettingische gelehrte Anzeigen 3
  • SCHRADER, H.A. 1832. 1. Cyperaceae . Analecta ad floram Capensem . Dieterich, Göttingen
  • 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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