Pseudovivipary in Cyperus haspan and C. iria (Cyperaceae) from Southern India

Sedges of the family Cyperaceae thrive in various environments by adopting micro- and macromorphological adaptive traits. We report pseudovivipary for the first time in Cyperus haspan and C. iria, growing in post-inundated environments of southern India. Both these taxa are known to have a wide ecological range making them troublesome weeds. Precocious and continuous growth of offspring while attached to the maternal parent might have been induced by continuous inundation caused by floods and heavy downpour. This alternative reproductive strategy, observed in C. haspan and C. iria, may aid their survival in adverse conditions, as it allows for rapid separation of ramets from parent plants.