Disentangling the taxonomy of Carex acuta s.l. in the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East: Re-evaluation of C. panormitana Guss. and C. kurdica Kuk. ex Hand.-Mazz

The morphology of the Eurasian Carex acuta L. has remained poorly characterized, which has allowed its traditional usage as a taxonomic hotchpotch, in which other similar taxa have been included. In this study, we clarify the taxonomic status of C. acuta and assess the delimitation of two similar species found in the southern part of the C. acuta range: Carex panormitana Guss. and Carex kurdica Kuk. ex Hand.-Mazz. To this purpose, we performed a detailed morphological study of 101 vouchers from 19 herbaria, including the type material of the three studied taxa and additional related species. Some distinct populations previously regarded as C. acuta were ascribed to C. panormitana or C. kurdica. Detailed morphological descriptions are provided for C. acuta, C. kurdica and C. panormitana. The ranges of the three taxa are revised in the Central–Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, and new records of C. panormitana in North Africa and of C. kurdica in Eastern Europe and Mediterranean Anatolia are presen...