Cyperaceae
Eleocharis

Eleocharis minuta Boeckeler

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 5: 503 (1884)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Senegal to Sierra Leone, Central & E. Tropical Africa to E. Zimbabwe, W. Indian Ocean. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Distribution

Native to:

Burundi, DR Congo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Réunion, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria

Synonyms

Heterotypic Synonyms

Classification

Kew's Tree of Life Explorer

Discover the flowering plant tree of life and the genomic data used to build it.

View the Tree of Life
PAFTOL

Publications

POWO follows these authorities in accepting this name:

  • Browning, J. & al. (2020). Flora Zambesiaca 14: 1-455. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Govaerts, R. & Simpson, D.A. (2007). World Checklist of Cyperaceae. Sedges: 1-765. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Govaerts, R. (2004). World Checklist of Monocotyledons Database in ACCESS: 1-54382. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Hoenselaar, K., Verdcourt, B. & Beentje, H. (2010). Cyperaceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-466.
  • Marais, W. & Araujo, A.C. (2018). Flore des Mascareignes 202: 1-99. IRD Éditions, MSIRI, RBG-Kew, Paris.
  • Moafo, C. & Reynders, M. (2025). Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre - Rwanda - Burundi), n.s., Cyperaceae Tribu XI. Eleochariteae: 1-34. Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, Meise.

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Beentje in F.T.E.A., Cyperaceae: 43 (2010).
  • Boeckeler in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 5: 503 (1884) as Heleocharis.
  • Haines & Lye, Sedges & Rushes E. Afr.: 71, fig.102 (1983).
  • Svenson in Rhodora 41: 54 (1939).

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Berhaut, J. (1988). Flore illustrée du Sénégal 9: 1-522. Gouvernement du Sénégal, Ministère du développement rural direction des eaux et forêta, Dakar.
  • Hoenselaar, K., Verdcourt, B. & Beentje, H. (2010). Cyperaceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-466.
  • Mesterházy, A., Browning, J. & Verloove, F. (2022). Cyperaceae of tropical West Africa: 1-532. Meise Botanic Garden.
  • Moafo, C. & Reynders, M. (2025). Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre - Rwanda - Burundi), n.s., Cyperaceae Tribu XI. Eleochariteae: 1-34. Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, Meise.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • E.J. 5: 503 (1884), as Heleocharis
  • Rhodora 41: 54 (1939)
  • Sedges & Rushes E. Afr.: 71, fig. 102 (1983).

Other Data

Other Kew resources that provide information on this taxon:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Apr 1, 1887 Hildebrandt, J.M. [3527] Madagascar K000416643 Type Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Madagascar K002424492 Yes
Blake, S.T. [13825] Australia K002423213 Yes
Kunze, F. [5453] Australia K002423210 Yes
Blake, S.T. [12967] Australia K002423215 Yes
Forsyth, W. [20700] Australia K002423232 Yes
Blake, S.T. [4723] Australia K002423217 Yes
Perrier, H. [924] K002424489 Yes
Hubbard, C.E. [2524] Australia K002423212 Yes
Bouton, M. [s.n.] Mauritius K002424498 Yes
Bailey [s.n.] Australia K002423221 Yes
Coveny, R. [7676] Australia K002423227 Yes
Wilson, K.L. [4043] Australia K002423237 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] K002424491 Yes
Coveny, R.G. [9317] Australia K002423224 Yes
Hubbard, C.E. [2813] Australia K002423211 Yes
Constable, E.F. [22207] Australia K002423234 Yes
[Hmark-Ch-lle] [27] Uganda K002424150 Yes
Wilson, K.L.; Sainty, G. [9584] Australia K002423236 Yes
Hamilton, A.A. [20702] Australia K002423229 Yes
Reekmans, M. [8062] Burundi K002423986 Yes
Johnston, H.H. [s.n.] Mauritius K002424501 Yes
Dummer, R. [3163] Uganda K002424151 Yes
Hamilton, A.A. [20701] Australia K002423230 Yes
Ayres, P.B. [s.n.] Mauritius K002424496 Yes
Blake, S.T. [13794] Australia K002423214 Yes
Viguier, R.; Humbert, H. [902] Madagascar K002424486 Yes
Coveny, R.G.; Benson, D.; Bryant, H. [8433] Australia K002423225 Yes
Coveny, R. [7712] Australia K002423226 Yes
Haughan, R.E. [B43] Mauritius K002424500 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Mauritius K002424499 Yes
Lam; Meeuse [5786] Madagascar K002424488 Yes
Simpson, D.A. [88/69] Madagascar K002424485 Yes
Wheeler Haines, R. [114] Kenya K002424152 Yes
Hamilton, A.A. [20703] Australia K002423231 Yes
Blake, S.T. [1255] Australia K002423219 Yes
Wilson, K.L.; Sainty, G. [9583] Australia K002423235 Yes
Wilson, K.L. [3943] Australia K002423238 Yes
Blake, S.T. [7100] Australia K002423216 Yes
Coveny, R.G.; Tame, T.; Donabauer, Z. [16499] Australia K002423222 Yes
Wilson, K.L. [4529] Australia K002423223 Yes
[E. Chislaria] [s.n.] Mauritius K002424497 Yes
Blake, S.T. [1423] Australia K002423218 Yes
Whellan, J.A. [169] Zimbabwe K002424360 Yes
Hubbard, C.E. [4071] Australia K002423209 Yes
Cours, M.G. [2700] Madagascar K002424484 Yes
Lye, K.A. [5980] Mauritius K002424487 Yes
s.coll. [159] Australia K002423220 Yes
Johnston, H.H. [s.n.] Mauritius K002424502 Yes
Faden, R.B.; Phillips, S.M.; Muasya, A.M.; Macha, E. [96/132] Tanzania K002424153 Yes
O'Hara, J.O.; Coveny, R. [3519] Australia K002423228 Yes
Blake, S.T. [7430] Australia K002423233 Yes
Jan 1, 1970 Deighton, F.C. [4361] Sierra Leone Eleocharis deightonii K000416630 Holotype Yes
{Jacques-Félix} [7250] Guinea Eleocharis deightonii K002423907 Yes

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0