Flora of North America species comparison

Species ca. 35 (6 in the flora).

The morphology of the inflorescence has received various interpretations. One suggested that the inner transparent scale represents five perianth members that correspond to the bristles subtending the achenes in some species of Scirpus (S. Friedland 1941). Another proposed that Lipocarpha is a highly reduced derivative of a Cyperus-like ancestor (J. Raynal 1967); that view was accepted by G. C. Tucker (1987) and P. Goetghebeur and A. Van den Borre (1989). The shared feature of Kranz anatomy of the “Cyperus type” further strengthens Raynal’s proposal. The achene and subtending scales of Lipocarpha are thus homologous to a single spikelet of Kyllinga or Cyperus. The interpretation of the secondary scales of Lipocarpha (Hemicarpha) as reduced scales of a spikelet (J. Raynal 1967) appears more plausible than the view of the secondary scale as fused perianth members (S. Friedland 1941).

Lipocarpha drummondii and L. aristulata have been frequently confused and misidentified as each other or as L. micrantha. Reports of those species, or their synonyms, should be confirmed by examining supporting specimens. Lipocarpha squarrosa (Linnaeus) Goetghebeur, a native of southern Asia, is known as an adventive from the Gulf Coast of Florida; it is not included in the species count. It has subtrigonous achenes and three stigmas, and it would seem to key to L. maculata in the following key; however, it is a smaller plant, at most 20 cm tall, with anthers only 0.15–0.2 mm and achenes 0.4–0.55 mm.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)