Carex donnell-smithii

Carex donnell-smithii is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to parts of Mexico and Central America.

Description
The sedge has stout culms with a length of 30 to 100 cm which have a purple hue toward the base of the plant. It has many stiff, glabrous and leathery leaves with blades that are 3 to 10 mm wide. The compound inflorescences are 20 to 60 mm in length that are found in groups in pairs of groups of four.

Taxonomy
The species was first described by the botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey in 1889 as a part of Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club. The type specimen was collected in the Alta Verapaz are of Guatemala. It has two synonyms;
 * Carex jovis described by Charles Baron Clarke in 1908
 * Carex pittieri Johann Otto Boeckeler in 1896.

Distribution
It is found in seasonally dry tropical biome from southern Mexico in the north down through much of Central America to Panama in the south.