Cyperaceae
Bulbostylis

Bulbostylis hensii (C.B.Clarke) R.W.Haines

First published in R.W.Haines & K.A.Lye, Sedges & Rushes E. Afr., App. 3: 1 (1983)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa, Madagascar. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Cyperaceae, K Hoenselaar, B. Verdcourt & H. Beentje. Hypolytrum, D Simpson. Fuirena, M Muasya. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2010

Type
Type: Congo-Kinshasa, Lower Congo, Stanley Pool and Lutete, Hens 62, 67, 74, 75, 239; De Meuse s.n.; Bolongo Cataracts, Luja 134 (BR, syn.) & Angola, Loango, Soyaux 151 (P, syn.)
Morphology General Habit
Perennial tussock plant with short erect rhizome or perhaps sometimes annual, up to 20–40 cm long.
Morphology Stem
Stems 0.3–0.6 mm thick, ridged, with dense hairs ± 0.5 mm long
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with similar hairs to the stems.
Morphology Leaves Leaf sheaths
Sheaths greenish or pale reddish brown; blade green, filiform, 1–2 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a simple umbel with 2–5 spikelets or rarely reduced to one.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts brown with green midrib, up to 10 mm long including long green minutely scabrid midrib 5 mm long, margins with flexuous hairs 1–1.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets ovoid, 5–15 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glume light reddish brown but almost black along the green midrib above, ovate, 3–3.5 mm long, densely scabrid
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style branches 3 Style base dark, not persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Nutlets light yellowish brown becoming brown with pale angles, obovoid, obtusely triangular, ± smooth according to SEM of Haines & Lye but surface finely reticulate, not transversely wrinkled.
Ecology
Dry grassland in hilly areas, roadside banks, old quarry floor; 1400–1600 m
Note
The epithet subumbellata is not mentioned in the main text of Sedges & Rushes E. Afr. but the SEM of the nut of B. hensii is taken from Lye 608, and the same picture accompanies the original description of A. subumbellata.
Distribution
Flora districts: U2 K7 Range: Senegal to Cameroon, Congo-Kinshasa, Rwanda, Angola
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/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