Ficinia spiralis (Cyperaceae) a new genus and combination for Desmoschoenus spiralis

Abstract

The New Zealand monotypic sedge Desmoschoenus is indistinguishable from the predominantly temperate South African Ficinia. Both genera share the presence of a condensed paniculate inflorescence and seeds bearing a gynophore, and Desmoschoenus is embedded within a Ficinia DNA phylogeny. Therefore, the current recognition of Desmoschoenus as a distinct genus cannot be justified, and we provide nomenclatural changes to merge the two genera. © 2010 The Royal Society of New Zealand.