Bulbostylis comprises approximately 150 species distributed in the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres. The morphology of the achene surface, using scanning electron microscopy, was used to differentiate 38 species of Bulbostylis Kunth (Cyperaceae) and revealed the presence of three patterns of ornamentation on the achene surface: tuberculate, reticulate, and transversely rugose. Other characters of taxonomic interest were also observed, including the primary sculpturing, the ornamentation of the anticlinal cell walls of the epidermis, the presence or absence of silica bodies, and the shape of the epidermal cells.
achene; Bulbostylis; Cyperaceae; morphology; systematics
