Cyperaceae is the third‐largest family of monocotyledons and one of the 10 largest families of angiosperms. The family includes two subfamilies and several tribes, one of which, Cypereae, is the aim of the present study. Recent studies recognize the Ficinia clade, composed of six genera (Dracoscirpoides, Erioscirpus, Ficinia, Hellmuthia, Isolepis, Scirpoides), as more closely related to Cyperus (Cypereae) than to Scirpus (Scirpeae), where it was traditionally placed. In this study, phylogenetic analyses of the Ficinia clade have been carried out, based on sequences of two nrDNA loci (ITS, ETS1f) and three plastid loci (trnL intron, rps16, trnH‐psbA) and with special attention to the smaller genera of the clade (i.e., Dracoscirpoides, Erioscirpus, Hellmuthia, Scirpoides). Results revealed a strong geographic pattern within Scirpoides, in which two groups are identified, one including the southern African and the other representing the northern hemisphere species. Dracoscirpoides and Erioscirpus are monophyletic genera while Hellmuthia formed a clade with Ficinia and Isolepis. One species of Scirpoides (S. dioeca) was outside the clade of Scirpoides s.str. in the analyses, and is here transferred to a new monospecific genus endemic to southern Africa: Afroscirpoides.

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Questions What is the community diversity of tall, humid herb grasslands in Western Mediterranean Europe? What are the diagnostic species of the Molinio‐Holoschoenion alliance? What underlying ecological patterns influence their diversity? Location Western Mediterranean Europe (France, Portugal and Spain). Methods We compiled a vegetation plot database of Molinio‐Holoschoenion plant communities. The initial data set of 1056 plots was filtered according to physiognomic and floristic criteria, and geographically stratified. We used hierarchical agglomerative classification and semi‐supervised classification techniques based on the k‐means algorithm as a combination of methods to define vegetation types. A DCA analysis was performed to assess the main ecological drivers of diversity in the Molinio‐Holoschoenion community. Results Seventeen vegetation types were defined, which can be classified in the following major vegetation groups: (1) tall humid grasslands on base‐poor and sandy soils; (2) Scirpoides holoschoenus grasslands on base‐rich soils; and (3) eastern Iberian and southwestern French Schoenus nigricans and/or Molinia caerulea grasslands. The water‐logging gradient was recognized as a major underlying pattern influencing the diversity and distribution of Molinio‐Holoschoenion, and at a second level, the soil factor. Conclusions We suggest a revision of the concept of the Molinio‐Holoschoenion alliance to be considered for the interpretation of habitat type 6420 of the European Habitats Directive, which should include Mediterranean wet dune slacks and tall, humid inland grasslands. This vegetation type is largely distributed on the eastern Iberian Peninsula, where base‐rich soils are predominant and Scirpoides holoschoenus grasslands comprise the main floristic composition of the alliance.

Relaciones entre los pará-metros físico-químicos del suelo y la vegetación en los juncales de Scirpoides holoschoenus. Lazaroa 31: 99-107 (2010).Se ha llevado a cabo un estudio de la diversidad de juncales caracterizados por Scirpoides holoschoenus en la zona centro de la Península Ibérica (cuencas media y alta del río Tajo). Este estudio se basa en 54 inventarios fitosociológicos recogidos de la bibliografía y en 17 muestreos propios en los que se analizó la composición florística de la vegetación y los principales parámetros fisico-químicos de los suelos. Los análisis numéricos muestran por una parte la existencia de 4 asociaciones en el centro peninsular: Holoschoenetum vulgaris, Lysimachio ephemeri-Holoschoenetum, Holoschoeno-Juncetum acuti y Trifolio resupinati-Holoschoenetum. Por otra, confirman la existencia de dos grandes grupos de juncales de Scirpoides holoschoenus en el centro peninsular en función del contenido en iones solubles: los calcícolas y los silicícolas. La incierta adscripción del juncal subhalófilo a uno u otro grupo sugiere la posibilidad de la existencia de varias unidades dentro de ellos. A study of Scirpoides holoschoenus rushes was carried out in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. This study was based on 54 phytosociological relevés collected from the literature, and on 17 of our own surveys in which we analyze the species composition of vegetation and the main physico-chemical soil parameters. Numerical analysis shows the existence of four associations: Holoschoenetum vulgaris, Lysimachio ephemeri-Holoschoenetum, Holoschoeno-Juncetum acuti and Trifolio resupinati-Holoschoenetum. In addition, we confirm the existence of two groups of Scirpoides holoschoenus rushes in the central Iberian peninsula based on the soil soluble-ion content, whether calcareous or silicicolous. The uncertain adscription of sub-halophilous rushes to one or another group suggests that several units may exist within them.