Homogenization and Truncation Processes in Inflorescences of Cyperaceae

Abstract

This work presents an analysis of the homogenization and truncation processes in Cyperaceae inflorescences. The truncation process is rare in Cyperaceae. There may be homogenized inflorescences but in general these inflorescences present a terminal spikelet. In the few studied cases of truncated inflorescences in Cyperaceae the truncation process may affect the terminal spikelet, only on the main axis and on the long primary branches (species of Cariceae, species of Lipocarpha and Ascolepis), or it may also affect the short branches on the main axis (some species of Kobresia; Cyperus giganteus, C. papyrus and C. prolifer) and on the primary long branches (Cyperus giganteus, C. papyrus and C. prolifer). The homogenized inflorescences can be disjunct or not disjunct. The disjunct homogenized inflorescences have a distal portion of short branches and a proximal portion of long branches, which lead in turn as short branches subunits. Meanhile non-disjunct homogenized inflorescences have only short or long branches, all with the same branching degree.