18. Lipocarpha R. Br., Narr. Exp. Congo, App. 459. 1818.
Rikliella J. Raynal in Adansonia, ser. 2, 13: 154. 1973.
Caespitose annuals or perennials, 10-45 cm: sometimes rhizomatous; stem nearly terete; leaves basal, shorter than stem; blades well developed without ligule; inflorescence a compact multiple spike formed by 1-7 sessile clusters of spikes, clusters c. 5 x 3 mm, with more than 100 spikes; several involucral bracts foliose, but small; cluster axis enlarged, reticulated by scars of fallen bracts and spikes; glume-like bracts c. 2 mm; spikes caducous, with 0-2 glumes and one flower, glumes (when present) scarious, tightly enveloping fruit; perianth 0; stamens 1-3, stigmas 2-3(-4); nuts 0.5-1.5 mm.
A genus with 15 species, distributed mostly in tropics; represented in Pakistan by one species.
Superficially resembling Kyllinga as pointed out already by Brown (l.c.). Goetghebeur & Van der Borre (Wageningen Agric. Univ. Papers 89.1: 1-87, 1989) accepted the interpretation of the two glumes enveloping the fruit, present in flowers of most Lipocarpha species, as a prophyll and a glume of a reduced spikelet. The treatment proposed by Goethghebeur & Van der Borre (l.c.) is followed here. In our L. squarrosa the glumes are not present.
