Xyris spathacea
Content
Description
Low, soft-based, smooth, sometimes short-rhizomed, ephemeral,10-30 cm high. Leaves erect or in fans, dimorphic, those of dry stages or of innovations 0.5-5 cm, those of wet or submersed sites more flaccid, 10-20 cm, all with broad thin sheathand ligule 2-3 mm, blade narrowly linear to filiform, compressed to terete, often maroon. Scapes soft, filiform, distally terete, striate, 0.3-1 mm thick, ribless; spikes ellipsoid to obovoid, 3-5 mm, sometimes proliferous, bracts few, thin, in a loose spiral, with distinct, papillose dorsal area, empty bracts 3-4, slightly shorter than the flowering ones, these broadly elliptic to obovate, ca. 3 mm, subacute, sometimes white-villosulous at apex, convex, ecarinate, dorsal area bisected by narrow midvein. Lateral sepals free, subequilateral, ca. 3-3.5 mm, the thick low keel sparsely papillose or short-ciliate from middle to tip; petals obovate, 3-3.5 mm; staminodes bearded; anthers 1 mm. Capsule ca. 2.5 mm, placentation basal, valves eseptate; seeds ellipsoid, 0.4-0.5 mm, pale amber.
Distribution
Amazonian Brazil present, French Guiana present, Southern America: Brazil North (Amazonas present); Brazil West-Central (Mato Grosso present); Colombia (Colombia present); Venezuela (Venezuela present), Suriname present, contiguous S Amazonas present
Colombia and contiguous S Amazonas, Venezuela; Suriname (frequent) E to French Guiana (rare); Amazonian Brazil (Amazonas, Mato Grosso).