Cyperus pulchellus is a sedge of the family Cyperaceae that is native to northern Australia,[2][3] tropical Africa, northwest Madagascar and Southeast Asia.[3]
| Cyperus pulchellus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Cyperus |
| Species: | C. pulchellus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cyperus pulchellus | |
The rhizomatous perennial sedge typically grows to a height of 8 to 30 cm (3 to 12 in). It blooms between January and July in Western Australia, producing white-brown flowers.[2]
The species was first formally described by the botanist Robert Brown in 1810 as part of the work Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802-1805.[1] For centuries it was believed to be an Australian endemic,[4] of which the only known synonyms were Cyperus sorostachys (syn. Sorostachys kyllingioides),[5] from the oddly disjunct Philippines and Senegal.[6]
In 1990 the botanist D. A. Simpson noted that it was the same plant as the one called Cyperus zanzibarensis in the rest of the world outside of Australia. As the name C. pulchellus is older, it has priority, and the name of the plants in the rest of the world should be changed.[7] A 2011 taxonomic review of the genus upheld this synonymy.[8] Other authorities do not follow Simpson.[5][9]
In Australia it is found in the north; Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. In Western Australia it is found around swamps in the Kimberley region where it grows in sandy or clay soils.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Cyperus pulchellus". International Plant Names Index. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "Cyperus pulchellus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ a b "Cyperus pulchellus R.Br". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ Govaerts, Rafaël; Simpson, David A. (2007). World Checklist of Cyperaceae. Sedges. Kew: The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. pp. 1–765.
- ^ a b "Cyperus pulchellus R.Br". Atlas of Living Australia. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ Steudel, Ernst Gottlieb von (21 April 1850). "Ueber den gegenwärtigen Stand der Synopsis plantarum und eine neue Gattung der Gräser". Flora, oder Botanische Zeitung (in German). 33 (15): 229. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ Simpson, D. A. (1990). "A Revision of Cyperus sect. Leucocephali". Kew Bulletin. 45 (3): 485–501. doi:10.2307/4110514. JSTOR 4110514.
- ^ Larridon, I.; Reynders, M.; Huygh, W.; Bauters, K.; Vrijdaghs, A.; Leroux, O.; Muasya, A. M.; Simpson, D. A.; Goetghebeur, P. (2011). "Taxonomic changes in C3 Cyperus (Cyperaceae) supported by molecular phylogenetic data, morphology, embryology, ontogeny and anatomy". Plant Ecology and Evolution. 144: 327–356. doi:10.5091/plecevo.2011.653. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ Hoenselaar, K., Verdcourt, B. & Beentje, H. (2010). Cyperaceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-466