Schoenus (plant) explained

Schoenus is a predominately austral genus of sedges, commonly known as bogrushes, or veldrushes in South Africa. Species of this genus occur mainly in South Africa (some 44 species), Australia (some 70 species) and Southeast Asia.[1] Others are found in scattered locations worldwide, from Europe (2 species) to Asia, North Africa (1 species) and the Americas.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Three species occur in the peatlands of southern South America, including S. antarcticus which is found in Tierra del Fuego, where it forms a component of hyperhumid Magellanic moorland.[8]

Taxonomic attention to the South African taxa, starting 2017, revealed a wealth of species. 24 species were transferred from Tetraria and Epischoenus into Schoenus, and several new species were described. S. inconspicuus, discovered on the outskirts of Cape Town, consists of only a few specimens.[9]

Etymology

The Greek word schoinos means 'rush', 'reed' or 'coord'.[10] Schoenus has also been used to represent ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman units of length and area based on knotted cords. In addition, it was the name of several ancient Greek towns, which were located in Arcadia, Boeotia and Corinthia, as well as several individuals in Greek mythology.

Description

Similar to other sedges (plants in family Cyperaceae), Schoenus are graminoid (grass-like) monocotyledonous flowering plants. Most species of Schoenus usually grow in clumps, but a few species are more spreading in growth form.[11] The flowering stems (culms) of Schoenus are usually round (terete), but there are some species with angular (e.g. Schoenus quadrangularis) or flat (e.g. Schoenus complanatus) culms.[12] Leaves of Schoenus are serrate, basal and usually well-developed, but there are some species with leaves reduced to a sheath (e.g. Schoenus gracillimus). Several species are hairy (e.g. Schoenus neovillosus), but in this genus it is not common to have hairs.[13] [14] [15]

Schoenus species

right|thumb|Illustration of S. antarcticus, native to Tierra del Fuego

, the Plants of the World Online indicates there are 157 species of Schoenus; however, this does not take into account several taxonomic changes made since 2020 (see sections below).[16]

Bogrushes

Several of the species that are currently on the list provided by Plants of the World Online database as of November 2022 have recently been transferred to other genera based on molecular and morphological evidence:

Southern African Schoenus[12]

The genus Schoenus includes 44 species from the southern Africa Schoenus clade, which are divided into three main groups.

Veldrushes

Schoenus cuspidatus group[12] right|thumb|Schoenus graminifolius

Epischoenus group[12] Schoenus compar - Schoenus pictus group[12]

Unplaced species

Synonyms (yet to be incorporated in Plants of the World Online database)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Schoenus L. . Plants of the World Online . Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . 2022 . 28 September 2022 .
  2. Web site: Atlas of Living Australia. 23 July 2014.
  3. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=gn&name=Schoenus New South Wales Flora On-line
  4. Govaerts, R. & Simpson, D.A. (2007). World Checklist of Cyperaceae. Sedges: 1-765. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  5. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=129642 Flora of China, Vol. 23 Page 256, 赤箭莎属 chi jian suo shu, Schoenus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 42. 1753.
  6. Web site: Schoenus of Western Australia . . 23 July 2014.
  7. Web site: USDA Plants Profile: North American Species . 23 July 2014.
  8. Book: Rydin . Håkan . Jeglum . John K. . The Biology of Peatlands (Biology of Habitats Series) . 2013-07-18 . OUP Oxford . 9780191508288 . 238 . 2 .
  9. Elliott . Tammy Lynn . Euston-Brown . Doug I. W. . Muasya . A. Muthama . Schoenus inconspicuus (Cyperaceae, tribe Schoeneae): a new species from Southern Africa . Phytotaxa . 28 April 2020 . 440 . 3 . 239–244 . 10.11646/phytotaxa.440.3.6 . 219006040 . 12 May 2021.
  10. Book: Quattrocchi. Umberto. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms. Synonyms, and Etymology – Volume IV R–Z. 2023. CRC Press.
  11. Larridon. Isabel . Zuntini. Alexandre R. . Léveillé-Bourret. Étienne . Barrett. Russell L. . Starr. Julian R. . Muasya. A. Muthama . Villaverde. Tamara . Bauters. Kenneth . Brewer. Grace E. . Bruhl. Jeremy J. . Costa. Suzana M. . Elliott. Tammy L. . Epitawalage. Niroshini . Escudero. Marcial . Fairlie. Isabel . Goetghebeur. Paul . Hipp. Andrew L. . Jiménez-Mejías. Pedro . Sabino Kikuchi. Izai A.B. . Luceño. Modesto . Márquez-Corro. José Ignacio . Martín-Bravo. Santiago . Maurin. Olivier . Pokorny. Lisa . Roalson. Eric H. . Semmouri. Ilias . Simpson. David A. . Spalink. Daniel . Thomas. W. Wayt . Wilson. Karen L. . Xanthos. Martin . Forest. Félix . Baker. William J.. A new classification of Cyperaceae (Poales) supported by phylogenomic data. . Journal of Systematics and Evolution . 1 July 2021 . 59 . 4 . 852–895 . 10.1111/jse.12757. free . 1854/LU-8709768 . free .
  12. Elliott . T.L. . Muasya . A.M. . A taxonomic revision of the Epischoenus group of Schoenus (Cyperaceae, tribe Schoeneae) . South African Journal of Botany . 2020 . 135 . 296–316. 10.1016/j.sajb.2020.08.029. free .
  13. Elliott . T.L. . Muasya . A.M. . Taxonomic realignment in the southern African Tetraria (Cyperaceae, tribe Schoeneae; Schoenus clade) . South African Journal of Botany . 2017 . 112 . 354–360 . 10.1016/j.sajb.2017.06.011. free .
  14. Elliott . T.L. . Muasya . A.M. . A taxonomic revision of Schoenus compar - Schoenus pictus and allies (Cyperaceae, tribe Schoeneae) with three new species described from South Africa . South African Journal of Botany . 2018 . 114 . 303–315 . 10.1016/j.sajb.2017.11.020. free .
  15. Elliott . T.L. . Barrett . R.L. . Muasya . A.M. . A taxonomic revision of Schoenus cuspidatus and allies (Cyperaceae, tribe Schoeneae)—Part 1 . South African Journal of Botany . 2019 . 121 . 519–535 . 10.1016/j.sajb.2018.11.021. free .
  16. Web site: Schoenus L. Plants of the World Online Kew Science. Plants of the World Online. 2022-11-13.
  17. Barrett . R.L. . Bruhl . J.J. . Wilson . K.L. . Revision of generic concepts in Schoeneae subtribe Tricostulariinae (Cyperaceae) with a new Australian genus Ammothryon and new species of Tricostularia . Telopea . 2021 . 24 . 61–169. 10.7751/telopea14844. 236544913 . free .
  18. Barrett . R.L. . Wilson . K.L. . Bruhl . J.J. . 'Reinstatement and revision of the genus Chaetospora (Cyperaceae: Schoeneae). Telopea . 2020 . 23 . 95–112. 10.7751/telopea14345. 225535818 . free .

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