Mainly perennials, tufted, long-stoloniferous, or long-rhizomatous
Culms erect, with basal nodes
Leaves ligulate or eligulate; sheath with adaxial apex truncate; blade 0 or (rarely) short
Inflorescence a single spikelet, sometimes proliferous
Spikelets of many spirally arranged, imbricate glumes, lowest 1 or 2 glumes empty, upper bisexual, fertile, uppermost with male florets or empty
Perianth of ± 6 scabrous bristles, often some rudimentary
Stamens (2)3
Style much thickened at base, forming a persistent, triangular structure; branches 2 or 3
Nutlet white, brown or black, elliptic to obovate, compressed or 3-angled, smooth
x = 5 (6, 7, 8, 9) (high aneuploids, high polyploidy)
Nomenclature:
Eleocharis R.Br.
Brown: 224 (1810)
Clarke: 197 (1898)
Clarke: 758 (1900)
Clarke: 404 (1902)
Schonland: 33 (1922)
Podlech: 18 (1967)
Gordon-Gray: 109 (1972)
Compton: 71 (1976)
Bond & Goldblatt: 39 (1984)
Forbes: 46 (1987)
Gordon-Gray: 76 (1995)
Heleocharis T.Lestib.
Lestiboudois: 41 (1819)
Levyns: 108 (1950)
Scirpus L. in part
Schrader: 29 (1832)
Distribution & Notes:
Global: Species 200, ± cosmopolitan
Southern Africa: Species ± 12, widespread, Namibia, Botswana, Northern Province, North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State, Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Northern, Western and Eastern Cape
References:
BOND, P. & GOLDBLATT, P. 1984. Plants of the Cape Flora: A descriptive catalogue. Journal of South African Botany Suppl. Vol. 13
BROWN, R. 1810. Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae 1. J. Johnson & Co., London
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
LESTIBOUDOIS, T.G. 1819. Essai sur la famille de Cypéracées. Didot jeune, Paris
LEVYNS, M.R. 1950. Cyperaceae. In R.S. Adamson & T.M. Salter, Flora of the Cape Peninsula. Juta, Cape Town
PODLECH, D. 1967. Cyperaceae. Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 165
SCHONLAND, S. 1922. Introduction to South African Cyperaceae. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 3
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