Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 31, 2026

Ficinia

Ficinia is a genus of tufted or rhizomatous sedges in the family Cyperaceae. There are 91 accepted species – around 70 recognised species in Africa, four species that occur in New Zealand and a single species Ficinia nodosa that occurs in Australia. The genus was described by German botanist Heinrich Adolph Schrader after another German botanist, Heinrich David August Ficinus.

Last revised
Jul 31, 2026
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≈ 3 min
Length
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Wikipedia ↗
Ficinia
Ficinia nodosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Ficinia
Schrad.
Synonyms1
  • Acrolepis Schrad.
  • Anthophyllum Steud.
  • Chamaexiphium Hochst. ex Steud.
  • Desmoschoenus Hook.f.
  • Hemichlaena Schrad.
  • Hypolepis P.Beauv. ex Lestib.
  • Hypophialium Nees
  • Melancranis Vahl
  • Pleurachne Schrad.
  • Schoenidium Nees
  • Sickmannia Nees

Ficinia is a genus of tufted or rhizomatous sedges in the family Cyperaceae. There are 91 accepted species1 – around 70 recognised species in Africa, four species (Ficinia ambigua, Ficinia anomala, Ficinia nodosa,2 and Ficinia spiralis) that occur in New Zealand and a single species Ficinia nodosa that occurs in Australia.34567 The genus was described by German botanist Heinrich Adolph Schrader after another German botanist, Heinrich David August Ficinus.8

Species

91 species are accepted.1

  • Ficinia acrostachys (Steud.) C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia acuminata (Nees) Nees
  • Ficinia albicans Nees
  • Ficinia anceps Nees
  • Ficinia angustifolia (Schrad.) C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia anysbergensis Muasya
  • Ficinia arenicola T.H.Arnold & Gordon-Gray
  • Ficinia argyropus Nees
  • Ficinia arnoldii Tshiila & Muasya
  • Ficinia atrostachya H.Pfeiff.
  • Ficinia bolusiana Muasya & C.H.Stirt.
  • Ficinia borealis Lye
  • Ficinia brevifolia Nees ex Kunth
  • Ficinia bulbosa (L.) Nees
  • Ficinia capillifolia (Schrad.) C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia capitella (Thunb.) Nees
  • Ficinia cedarbergensis T.H.Arnold & Gordon-Gray
  • Ficinia ciliata Boeckeler
  • Ficinia cinnamomea C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia compasbergensis Drège ex Steud.
  • Ficinia crinita (Poir.) B.L Burtt
  • Ficinia dasystachys C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia deusta (P.J.Bergius) Levyns
  • Ficinia distans C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia dunensis Levyns
  • Ficinia dura Turrill
  • Ficinia echinata Muasya
  • Ficinia ecklonea (Steud.) Nees
  • Ficinia elatior Levyns
  • Ficinia eligulata Gordon-Gray ex Muasya
  • Ficinia esterhuyseniae Muasya
  • Ficinia fascicularis Nees
  • Ficinia fastigiata (Thunb.) Nees
  • Ficinia filiculmea B.L.Burtt
  • Ficinia filiformis (Lam.) Schrad.
  • Ficinia gracilis Schrad.
  • Ficinia grandiflora T.H.Arnold & Gordon-Gray
  • Ficinia gydomontana T.H.Arnold & Gordon-Gray
  • Ficinia hemiuncialis (C.B.Clarke) Muasya
  • Ficinia incomtula (Nees) Muasya
  • Ficinia indica (Lam.) H.Pfeiff.
  • Ficinia involuta Nees
  • Ficinia ixioides Nees
  • Ficinia jardinei Muasya & C.H.Stirt.
  • Ficinia laciniata (Thunb.) Nees
  • Ficinia laevis Nees
  • Ficinia lateralis (Vahl) Kunth
  • Ficinia latifolia T.H.Arnold & Gordon-Gray
  • Ficinia leiocarpa Nees
  • Ficinia leucoloma (Nees) Muasya
  • Ficinia levynsiae T.H.Arnold & Gordon-Gray
  • Ficinia limosa Levyns
  • Ficinia × lucida C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia macowanii C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia micrantha C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia minuta (Turrill) Muasya
  • Ficinia minutiflora C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia montana Tshiila & Muasya
  • Ficinia monticola Kunth
  • Ficinia mucronata C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia nana B.L.Burtt
  • Ficinia neocapensis Muasya
  • Ficinia nigrescens (Schrad.) J.Raynal
  • Ficinia nodosa (Rottb.) Goetgh., Muasya & D.A.Simpson
  • Ficinia oligantha (Steud.) J.Raynal
  • Ficinia overbergensis Muasya & C.H.Stirt.
  • Ficinia pallens (Schrad.) Nees
  • Ficinia paradoxa (Schrad.) Nees
  • Ficinia petrophylla T.H.Arnold & Gordon-Gray
  • Ficinia pinguior C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia polystachya Levyns
  • Ficinia praemorsa Nees
  • Ficinia pusilla C.B.Clarke
  • Ficinia pygmaea Boeckeler
  • Ficinia quartzicola Muasya & Helme
  • Ficinia quinquangularis Boeckeler
  • Ficinia radiata (L.f.) Kunth
  • Ficinia ramosissima Kunth
  • Ficinia repens Kunth
  • Ficinia rigida Levyns
  • Ficinia secunda (Vahl) Kunth
  • Ficinia spiralis (A.Rich.) Muasya & de Lange
  • Ficinia stirtonii Muasya
  • Ficinia stolonifera Boeckeler
  • Ficinia swartruggensis Muasya & C.H.Stirt.
  • Ficinia trichodes (Schrad.) B.D.Jacks.
  • Ficinia trispicata (L.f.) Druce
  • Ficinia tristachya (Rottb.) Nees
  • Ficinia trollii (Kük.) Muasya & D.A.Simpson
  • Ficinia truncata (Thunb.) Schrad.
  • Ficinia undosa B.L.Burtt
  • Ficinia zeyheri Boeckeler
References

References

  1. "Ficinia Schrad". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  2. "Ficinia nodosa". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  3. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. "Genus Ficinia". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  5. Landcare Research New Zealand Limited. "Cyperaceae". New Zealand Plant Names Database. Landcare Research Allan Herbarium and New Zealand Plant Names Database. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  6. Govaerts, R. & Simpson, D.A. (2007). World Checklist of Cyperaceae. Sedges: 1-765. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  7. Levyns, Margaret Rutherford Bryan. 1947. Journal of South African Botany 13: 68
  8. Smith, Val (2023-01-01). Common Ground: Who's who in New Zealand botanical names. Supplement Two: Who's who in New Zealand botanical names. Supplement Two.