Carex paracheniana, AND

Jin, Xiao-Feng, Simpson, David A., Zheng, Chao-Zong, Sun, Li & Zhang, Hong-Wei, 2012, Carex paracheniana (Carex sect. Rhomboidales, Cyperaceae), a New Species from Guangxi and Guizhou, China, Systematic Botany (Basel, Switzerland) 37 (4), pp. 929-937 : 936-937

KEY TO CAREX PARACHENIANA AND THE RELATED SPECIES Of SECT. RHOMBOIDALES IN CHINA

1. Nutlet beaks slightly curved or erect, annulate at apex.............................................................................. 2

2. Perigynia densely pubescent; pistillate scales, involucral bracts, bract sheaths, culms and leaves pubescent................. C. pseudolaticeps

2. Perigynia sparsely pubescent or glabrous; pistillate scales, involucral bracts, bract sheaths, culms and leaves glabrous..................... 3

3. Perigynia pubescent; nutlets coiled-stipitate at base.......................................................................... 4

4. Lateral spikes androgynous, with a long staminate part at apex............................................................. 5

5. Pistillate scales ovate-lanceolate, pale yellow, apex acuminate, with a ca. 2 mm long scabrous awn................... C. saxicola

5. Pistillate scales elliptic, brown, apex emarginate, with a 3–4 mm long scabrous awn............................... C. tenebrosa

4. Lateral spikes pistillate, usually bearing a few staminate flowers at apex..................................................... 6

6. Rhizomes long-creeping; leaves trabeculate; pistillate scales with a glabrous awn at apex..................... C. yandangshanica

6. Rhizomes short; leaves not trabeculate; pistillate scales with a scabrous awn at apex, or acuminate.......................... 7

7. Perigynia subcoriaceous, glaucous; nutlet beaks erect..................................................... C. chaofangii

7. Perigynia herbaceous, brownish-green or dark brown; nutlet beaks slightly curved.................................... 8

8. Perigynia brownish-green, pubescent on upper part; pistillate scales ovate-elliptic,

glaucous or pale yellow, apex long-awned; styles thickened at base................................. C. paracheniana

8. Perigynia dark brown, sparsely pubescent or subglabrous; pistillate scales lanceolate,

yellowish-brown, apex acuminate; styles not thickened at base...................................... C. brevicuspis

3. Perigynia glabrous; nutlets erect or coiled-stipitate at base.................................................................... 9

9. Pistillate scales glaucous or pale yellow; nutlets erect-stipitate at base; plants yellowish-green when dried....................... 10

10. Lateral spikes densely flowered, more than 20 flowers; pistillate scales long-awned at apex............................... 11

11. Lateral spikes androgynous, with a long staminate part at apex; nutlets shallowly constricted on middle angles......... 12

12. Nutlets long-beaked at apex, beaks erect....................................................... C. rhynchophora

12. Nutlets not beaked, but disc-annulate at apex........................................................ C. chorda

11. Lateral spikes pistillate; nutlets deeply constricted on middle angles....................................... C. harlandii

10. Lateral spikes 4–7-flowered; pistillate scales acuminate at apex....................................................... 13

13. Leaves 4–6 mm wide; culms 10–30 cm in height, slightly shorter than leaves.................................. C. canina

13. Leaves 8–15 mm wide; culms 7–13 cm in height, far shorter than leaves........................................ C. kaoi

9. Pistillate scales reddish brown; nutlets coiled-stipitate at base; plants brown or reddish brown when dried...................... 14

14. Spikes 4, lateral spikes pistillate; nutlets 2 mm long........................................................... C. liqingii

14. Spikes 4–7, lateral ones androgynous; nutlets 3–3.5 mm long.................................................. C. calcicola

1. Nutlet beaks coiled, not annulate at apex......................................................................................... 15

15. Perigynia densely pubescent; pistillate scales, involucral bracts, bract sheaths, culms and leaves all pubescent................... C. laticeps

15. Perigynia pubescent or glabrous; pistillate scales, involucral bracts, bract sheaths, culms and leaves glabrous.......................... 16

16. Lateral spikes cylindrical-globose, 2–3 cm long, with peduncles enclosed in sheaths........................................... 17

17. Leaves 6–10 mm wide; nutlets constricted on all middle angles................................................... C. manca

17. Leaves 2–4 mm wide; nutlets constricted on one middle angle................................................ C. jiuhuaensis

16. Lateral spikes cylindrical, 3–6 cm long, with peduncles exserted from sheaths................................................ 18

18. Pistillate scales glaucous, long-awned at apex; staminate scales long-awned at apex................................ C. cheniana

18. Pistillate scales pale yellow, acuminate or short-awned at apex; staminate scales acuminate at apex.......................... 19

19. Lateral spikes 12–15 mm wide; leaves 12–18 mm wide................................................ C. nanchuanensis

19. Lateral spikes 7–10 mm wide; leaves 3–10(–17) mm wide......................................................... 20

20. Lateral spikes with a long staminate part at apex, the staminate part equal to the pistillate part.................... 21

21. Perigynia pubescent, with a 2.5–3 mm long beak at apex, obliquely patent at maturity................ C. thibetica

21. Perigynia glabrous, with a ca. 4 mm long beak at apex, horizontally patent at maturity............. C. kuchunensis

20. Lateral spikes with a short staminate part at apex, the staminate part rather shorter than the pistillate part.......... 22

22. Leaves 7–10(–17) mm wide; perigynia horizontally patent at maturity............................... C. heudesii

22. Leaves 3–7 mm wide; perigynia obliquely patent at maturity...................................... C. basiflora

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 31170183, 30870150), and the project of State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany (Grant No. LSEB2011-04). We are most grateful to Professors LIANG Song-Yun and DAI Lun-Kai for their kind help and continuous encouragement, to Professor WANG Wen-Tsai for his modifying the draft, to the curators of ACM, E, GZTM, HAGS, HHBG, HIB, HNNU, HTC, HZU, IBK, IBSC, K, KUN, KYO, LBG, N, NAS, OSA, P, PE, SYS, TI, WUK, ZJFC, and ZM for permitting the first author to visit their herbaria.