Rhynchospora marliniana (Cyperaceae), a new species of Rhynchospora sect. Plumosae from northern Central America and southeastern North America

The new species, Rhynchospora marliniana Naczi, W. M. Knapp & W. W. Thomas, is described, illustrated, and compared with morphologically similar species. Images are provided of its habitats, which are sunny, wet, and nutrient-poor savannas, pinelands, and streamsides in Belize, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the southeastern USA. It is unique in Rhynchospora sect. Plumosae by having perianth bristles that are plumose only at their bases and have a smooth zone between the plumose and minutely denticulate zones. Additional diagnostic characters are dark brown proximal leaf sheaths and perianth bristles that exceed the tubercle. Rhynchospora marliniana survives burning, and quickly initiates both vegetative and reproductive growth after fire.