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Eleocharis cryptica (Cyperaceae), a dwarf new species from Durango, Mexico

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Abstract

Eleocharis cryptica (Cyperaceae), known from pine-oak forest in Durango, Mexico, is described and illustrated. It belongs to Eleocharis subg. Eleocharis ser. Tenuissimae and can be distinguished by its diminutive size, with culms 2–13 mm long (including spikelets 1.3–1.7 mm long), and the folliform prolongations of its upper sheaths. It is the smallest species of Eleocharis thus far known.

Resumen

Se describe e ilustra Eleocharis cryptica (Cyperaceae), de bosque de pino-encino en el estado de Durango, México. Pertenece a Eleocharis subg. Eleocharis ser. Tenuissimae y se distingue por su diminuto tamaño, con tallos 2–13 mm de largo incluyendo las espiguillas de 1.3–1.7 mm de largo, así como por la prolongación de la vaina superior folliforme. Es la especie más pequeña de Eleocharis que se conoce hasta ahora.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Christopher S. Reid for field assistance, Julian Starr for helpful discussion, Alice Tangerini for preparing the illustration, and the constructive comments of two reviewers. Our field research was supported financially by the Smithsonian Institutions Restricted Endowment fund, the National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration (grant number 8087-06) and the Canadian Museum of Nature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Museum of Nature, P.O. Box 3443,, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 6P4,, Canada

    Jeffery M. Saarela

  2. Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA

    Paul M. Peterson

  3. Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Unidad Durango, Sigma 119 Fraccionamiento 20 de Noviembre II, 34220, Durango,, Durango, Mexico

    M. Socorro González Elizondo

  4. S.M. Tracy Herbarium, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2138, USA

    David J. Rosen

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  1. Jeffery M. Saarela
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Correspondence to Jeffery M. Saarela.

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Saarela, J.M., Peterson, P.M., González Elizondo, M.S. et al. Eleocharis cryptica (Cyperaceae), a dwarf new species from Durango, Mexico. Brittonia 62, 233–238 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-009-9111-y

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