A morphological analysis of the fruit and its surface was carried out in 16 taxa of Cyperus L. subg. Cyperus from Southern Brazil, aiming to obtain useful characteristics for differentiation. In the macromorphological analysis, characters like size, shape, color and those related to the base of the fruit are especially relevant. In the micromorphological analysis, the most important characters are surface ornamentation, distribution and shape of the epidermal cells, height and limits of the anticlinal walls, type of silica bodies and presence or absence of connections between these and the anticlinal walls. Comparative tables for the taxa are provided and the diagnostic value of each character is discussed. The results support the differentiation of species that can be separated by external morphology, but have limited value in the differentiation of similar species. On the other hand, the results support proposals of synonymy for several taxa at specific or infraspecific levels.
Cyperaceae; Cyperus subg. Cyperus; achenes; micromorphology; macromorphology
