Tratamiento taxonómico
Luzula racemosa Desvaux, J. Bot. (Desvaux) 1: 162, tab.6. fig.3. (1808).
Type: “America calidiore”, (lectoype P, (left hand specimen, the rest is a fragment of a Luzula of another section), designated in Kirschner et al. 2002a). Figs. 22, 23
Perennial, cespitose herbs, 5-45 cm high. Rhizome erect or ascending, without stolons. Culms erect, straight or more often slightly curved, 0.5-2 mm diameter. Basal leaves five to several to each culm, in a loose or sometimes squarrose rosette; sheaths short; blades apically acute, 5 25 x 0.1-0.5 cm, flat or sometimes thickened and concave. Cauline leaves 0-4 to each culm, to 15 cm long, the sheath occupying 1/6-1/3 of the length. Leaf margins hairy, especially in young and cauline leaves. Inflorescence a terminal, erect or nodding, spike like raceme of three to several flower clusters, 1-6 x 0.5-2 cm; flower clusters oblong to ovoid, 0.5-1.5 x 0.3-1 cm, sessile or sometimes short pedunculate, crowded or sometimes spaced along the rachis; basal inflorescence bract herbaceous, linear, usually much longer than the flower cluster and up to 5 cm long, distal bracts progressively shorter. Tepals unequal, dark castaneous or white and membranous when old, outer ones 2.5-4 mm, inner ones 2-3.5 mm long. Stamens usually three but often six, 0.6-1.5 mm long; anthers oblong to linear, 0.2-0.5 mm long, usually shorter than the filaments. Capsule broadly ellipsoid to ovoid, 3-1obed to trigonous, 1.5-2 x 1-1.5 mm, usually conspicuously shorter than the tepals but sometimes almost as long, castaneous, dehiscing with the entire valve recurving. Seeds ellipsoid, apiculate, 0.7-1.1 x 0.4-0.6 mm, brown with a hyaline, rugose outer seed coat.
Distribution and habitat. L. racemosa is distributed in the highlands from Central Mexico to Guatemala and along the Andes from Venezuela to Chile and Argentina. Within the Neotropical region it has been collected at elevations of 2900-4700 m above sea level, but it is most commonly found above 3500 m. It grows in well drained, sunny, exposed places in grassy openings in the upper montane forest belt and in the páramos above the timber line. In Colombia L. racemosa is found toward the center of Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental, and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, between 2900 and 4500 m of elevation.
Comments. In Flora of Ecuador, Balslev recognized three species (L. racemosa, L. peruviana, and L. chilensis) within what is here treated as one species, L. racemosa (Balslev 1979a). Buchenau (1906) cut it even finer and recognized four species. In the meantime we have examined a large material covering the area from Mexico to Bolivia, and it is obvious that there is a genetic variation between different populations which gives them quite a large morphological range. We have however been unable to draw lines between consistently distinguishable taxa therein. The relation between ecological and genetic variation between the populations is also uncertain.
Representative specimens. Arauca: Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, quebrada El Playón, Patio Bolos, 4260-4350 m, 7-10 Mar 1973, Cleef 8833A, fl (COL), Cleef 8857B, fr (COL), Cleef 8928B, fr (COL), Cleef 8960A, fl (COL), Cleef 9045C, st (COL). Boyacá: Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, alto Ritacuba, 4525 m, 11 Apr 1959, H. G. Barclay 7342, fl (COL, MO, NY); Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, Lagunilla, Bocatoma, Concavo, Cusiri, 4060 4510 m, 26 Sep 1972-5 Mar 1973, Cleef 5537, fl (COL); nevado del Cocuy, alto valle de las Lagunillas, 4000-4300 m, 12 Sep 1938, Cuatrecasas 1469, fl (COL, F, GOET, US); páramo de Loja, 18 km SE de Socha, 3400 m, 11 Nov 1944, Fosberg 22281, fr (COL, US); valle de las Playas, Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, 4000-4200 m, 4 Aug 1957, Grubb 275, fl (COL, US). Caldas: nevado del Ruiz, Termales, Nevado, Líbano, 4390 m, 12 Dec 1958, H. G. Barclay 6356, fl, fr (COL, US); nevado del Ruiz, 4500 m, 18 Mar 1972, Cleef 2418 (COL); nevado de Ruiz, 3900-4200 m, 5 May 1940, Cuatrecasas 9271, fr (COL, US); páramo de Quindío, 4100-4300 m, 15-20 Aug 1922, Pennell 9819 (GH, NY); nevado del Ruiz, El Silencio, 4310 m, 7 Oct 1978, Rangel-Ch. 1731A, fr (COL). Caldas-Tolima: Cordillera Central, nevado del Ruiz, páramo Termales, Nevado y Líbano, 4000 m, 21 Dec 1958, H. G. Barclay 6458, fl (COL, MO, US). Cauca: mountain Puracé above Pilimbala, 4000 m, Wood 4789, fr (COL, K). Cundinamarca: Cordillera Oriental, S of Usme, páramo de Chisacá, 3910 m, 9-11 Nov 1958, H. G. Barclay 6105, fr (COL, MO, US); entre Cogua y San Cayetano, laguna Seca, 3670-3685 m, 9-16 Nov 1972, Cleef 6122, fl (COL); páramo de Chisacá, laguna Negra, 3660-3720 m, 11 Sep 1961, Cuatrecasas 25890, fl (COL, US); boquerón de Chipaque, 3150 3250 m, 16 Mar 1939, Killip 34208, fr (COL, US); páramo de Chipaque, Dec 1853, Triana s.n. (COL). Magdalena: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, río Ancho, páramo de Macotama, 3770-3840 m, 30 Jan 1959, H. G. Barclay 6939, fr (COL, MO, US); Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, al S de los picos Reina and Ojeda, 4200-4300 m, 8 Oct 1959, Cuatrecasas 24580, fl, fr (COL, US); Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, transecto de Buritica, 3500 m, 15 Aug 1977, Rangel-Ch. 954, fl (COL, NY); Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 30 km from Dibulla, 4875 m, Ju1 1932, Seifriz 512, fl (US); source of río Donachui (COL-specimen says “Valley of río Yibosimeina, 3500-4000 m”), 4500 m, 21 May 1977, White 521, fr (COL, MO, NY). Meta: páramo de Sumapaz, quebrada Sitiales, laguna La Guitarra, 3450 m, 26 Jan 1972, Cleef 1095, fr (COL); páramo de Sumapaz, cerro nevado de Sumapaz, Caliza, 4430 m, 16 Jan 1973, Cleef 7931, fl (COL); macizo de Sumapaz, quebrada Clarincito o Los Frailes, 3720 m, 2 Jul 1981, Díaz-Piedrahita 2364, fl (COL); macizo de Sumapaz, Cerro Nevado, 4100-4330 m, 6 Ju1 1981, Díaz-Piedrahita 2562, fr (COL). Norte de Santander: páramo de Santurban, 4030 m, 16 Sep 1944, St. John 20777, lf (NY, UC, US). Quindío: municipio Salento, páramo de Quindío, 3700-4200 m, 22 May 1989, Vélez 335, fl (COL). Risaralda: municipio Pereira, Cordillera Central, parque de los Nevados, nevado Santa Isabel, 4500 m, 17 Jan 1980, Jaramillo-Mejía 5645 (COL); municipio Pereira, nevado de Santa Isabel, 4400-4500 m, 17 Jan 1980, Jaramillo-Mejía 5653, fr (COL); municipio Santa Rosa, volcán Santa Rosa, 4280 m, 20 Jan 1980, Jaramillo-Mejía 5766, fr (COL). Santander: Cordillera Oriental, páramo de Almorzadero, 3920 m, 31 Dec 1959-1 Jan 1960, H. G. Barclay 10397 (NY); páramo de las Vegas, 3700-3800 m, 20-21 Dec 1926, Killip 15639, fl (GH, NY, US); páramo de las Vegas, 3700-3800 m, 20 21 Dec 1926, Killip 21146, fr (US). Tolima: municipio Murillo, Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados, 47-55 km Manizales-Murillo, 3945-3990 m, 9 May 1991, Betancur 2444, fr (COL); páramo del Ruiz, 3800-4300 m, 16-17 Dec 1917, Pennell 3028, fr (NY, US). Locality unknow: Guadalupe, Jul 1911, Brother Apolinar-María123, fr (NY, US); New Granada, Purdie s. n. (NY).
Figuras
Figure 3. JuncuS balticuS subsp. andicola. A: habit (ASplund 8455, S). JuncuS echinocephaluS B: habit, note capitate inforescence, creeping rhizome, and cataphylls; C: fower, note subulate tepals (B-C: Sparre 14234, S). JuncuS effuSuS. D: habit (PreScott 694, NY). Published in Flora of Ecuador 11: 1-45, 1979, and Flora Neotropica 68:1-167, 1996.
Figure 22. Luzula racemoSa. A: fower, note fmbriate bracteoles; B: habit, note lack of stolons, curved culm, lower inforescence bract herbaceous and longer than fower cluster (A-B: Bell 78, A). Luzula vulcanica. C: habit, note stolons, straight culm, short scariose inforescence bracts; D: fower, note dark color and fmbriate bracteole (C-D: Ollgaard 9891, AAU). Published in Flora of Ecuador 11: 1-45, 1979, and Flora Neotropica 68:1-167, 1996.
Figure 23. Geographic distribution of Luzula racemoSa (.).
Relacionados
Instituto de Ciencias Naturales
Colecciones en Línea
Catálogo de Plantas
Flora de Colombia
Triana Buscador Botánico
Nombres Comunes Plantas
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