Miscellaneous chorological, nomenclatural and taxonomic notes on Carex (Cyperaceae) from South America, including the description of three new species

Despite the ongoing intensive efforts on disentangling the diversity of the genus Carex (Cyperaceae) in South America, there is much still to be accomplished. In this note we studied collections from some of the main South American and North American herbaria, new field collections, and observations from the citizen platform iNaturalist, to report chorological, nomenclatural, and taxonomic notes for 16 South American Carex species. These include comments on invasive species, novel national reports for five species, including the first report of Carex echinata to the continent, the clarification of the use of the name Carex peruviana and the exclusion of Carex vixdentata from the Peruvian flora, and the description of three new species from the Northern Andes and the Peruvian desert: Carex guaguarum Jim.Mejías & Muñoz-Schüler, Carex ros-desertum Jim.Mejías & Muñoz-Schüler (subg. Vignea, sect. Bracteosellae), and Carex via-montana A.Mor.Alons. & Jim.Mejías (subg. Psyllophorae, sect. Junciformes).