ANATOMY AS AN AID TO CLASSIFYING THE CYPERACEAE

Abstract

During a period of about 10 years the systematic anatomy of the vegetative organs of more than 280 species belonging to 90 genera of the taxonomically complex family Cyperaceae have been examined, some of them for the first time. Abstracts of about 250 published articles relating to the anatomy of the Cyperaceae have also been prepared. The combined results of this investigation and literature survey are to appear as Vol. 5 of a reference book entitled Anatomy of the Monocotyledons. In the present article particulars are given of the anatomical characters which have proved to be among the most important as an aid in classifying the tribes and genera within the family. Special attention has been devoted to silica‐bodies in surface‐view preparations of the leaf epidermis. In transverse sections of the lamina, the relationship between genera and species in which there are dorsiventral, isobilateral, pseudodorsiventral, and cylindrical leaves, respectively, appears to be of special interest. Selected conclusions concerning the affinities between tribes and between certain genera and the tribes to which they belong within the Cyperaceae are presented. The relationship of the Cyperaceae to other families is briefly discussed.