Fimbristylis pandeyana Mujaffar, Wad. Khan & A. P. Tiwari 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Shaikh, Mujaffar
name: Khan, M. A. Wadood
name: Tiwari, Arjun Prasad
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Liliopsida
Poales
Cyperaceae
Fimbristylis
Fimbristylis pandeyana

description: Fimbristylis pandeyana Mujaffar, Wad. Khan & A.P. Tiwari sp. nov. (Fig. 1 & 2)   
 Diagnosis:— This species is morphologically similar to Malesian Fimbristylis psammophila J. Kern (1956: 96) in many aspects but distinguished from it in having densely pubescent leaves with smooth margins in upper half, 5–7 involucral bracts, lesser number of spikelets, single stamen, scarious and glabrous styles (hairy only at top) with much dilated base which is ciliated and almost decurrently on nutlets apex.   
 Type: — INDIA, Madhya Pradesh, Seoni district, wetland of Bhamori Pond of Rukhard village, 210 04’03.7” N 79049 ’29.2” E 1000–1725 ft, 13 October 2015, Mujaffar 0131 (holotype CAL!; isotypes BSA!, K!).   
Perennial herbs, 10–30 cm high. Culms 5-angled, 15–22 cm tall, ca. 1 mm thick, angled smooth, erect, slender. Leaves shorter than culms; sheaths membranous, 1–3 cm long, densely pubescent; ligule absent; blades linear-lanceolate, 3–5 × 0.1 cm, flat, densely pubescent with smooth margins in upper half, sub-acute at apex. Inflorescence umbellate, sub-decompound, 3–8 × 2–5 cm; involucral bracts 5–7, foliar and setaceous, linear, shorter than inflorescence, 1.5–3.5 cm long, greenish, striate, pubescent, margins scarious, acute at apex. Anthela rays 5–8, bearing 15–20 spikelets, linear-lanceolate, 1–1.3 × 0.1–0.2 cm, brownish-yellow; rachilla narrowly winged. Glumes spirally arranged, oblong-ovate, 1.0–1.4 × 0.4–0.7 mm, pale brownish-yellow, strongly keeled on the back, keel sharply angled, smooth or sparsely spiny, 3-nerved, sides nerveless, margin hyline, apex obtuse, distinctly mucronate. Stamen 1; anther linear, c. 0.7 mm long, yellowish. Style bifid, slender, flat, 0.8–0.9 mm long, scarious, glabrous, hairy only at top, base much dilated, ciliate, covering almost entire nutlets apex (decurrent). Nutlets oblong-obovate, 0.3–0.5 × 0.1–0.3 mm, shortly stipitate, white, reticulate, surface cells rounded or hexagonal in many series on each face.  
 Ecology:—It occurs in wet open grassland and along the perennial pond of Bhamori (Rokhard Village) covering about 3 acres marshy areas. More than hundred individuals of this new species have been observed in the field.   
 Flowering & Fruiting:—October–December.   
 Etymology:—The new species has been named after Prof. A.K. Pandey, Dept. of Botany, University of Delhi, New Delhi, in appreciation of his outstanding contributions in the field of Taxonomy and Ethnobotany.   
 Note: — With the diagnostic features such as perennial habit, eligulate leaves, cylindrically elongated (accrescent), angular spikelets with bifid styles and biconvex nutlets; the new taxa shows its relation with the sec. Lineares. The new species also approaches Malesian F. spicigera J. Kern (1955: 144) and Indian. F. poklei Wadood Khan et al. (2011: 1) and can be distinguished from these as shown in the following key. With the inclusion of F. pandeyana and F. poklei the sec. Lineares now represents two Indian species.
description: Published as part of Shaikh, Mujaffar, Khan, M. A. Wadood & Tiwari, Arjun Prasad, 2017, A new species of Fimbristylis (Cyperaceae) from Madhya Pradesh, India, pp. 297-300 in Phytotaxa 314 (2) on pages 297-299, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.314.2.14, http://zenodo.org/record/13686962