e-Key v3 - Oryzidium
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Poaceae - Panicoideae - Paniceae - Setariinae - Oryzidium C.E.Hubb. & Schweick.

Description :

  • Perennial, stoloniferous, rooting from lower nodes, floating; culms soft, spongy and compressible
  • Leaf blade expanded, linear, leaf sheaths broad, papery; ligule a very short fringe of hairs
  • Inflorescence a panicle, somewhat contracted; spikelets solitary, pedicelled, pedicels coarsely scabrid
  • Spikelet lanceolate, dorsiventrally compressed, falling with glumes and pedicels; glumes very unequal in size, dissimilar in appearance, 3-7-nerved; lower glume usually reduced to an ovate, membranous scale, minutely awned; upper glume lanceolate, as long as spikelet, stiffly membranous, scabrid on nerves, produced at apex into an stiff awn; awn 3 or 4 times as long as body of glume, scabrid
  • Florets 2; lower floret male, separated from upper floret by a long rachilla internode; lemma lanceolate, membranous, 5-nerved, awned; palea shorter than lemma, subhyaline; upper floret bisexual; lemma similar to, to firmer in texture than glumes, acute, entire, glabrous, 7-nerved, mucronate, margins flat and exposed on palea, palea similar to lemma
  • Lodicules 2, cuneate
  • Stamens 3
  • Ovary ellipsoid, glabrous; style distinct, plumose

Nomenclature:

  • Oryzidium C.E.Hubb. & Schweick.
    • Hubbard & Schweickerdt: 326 (1936)
    • Chippindall: 425 (1955)
    • Launert: 134 (1970)
    • Clayton & Renvoize: 281 (1986)
    • Clayton: 58 (1989)
    • Gibbs Russell et al.: 230 (1990)
    • Watson & Dallwitz: 674 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species 1: Oryzidium barnardii C.E.Hubb. & Schweick., southern tropical Africa
  • Southern Africa : Namibia and N Botswana

References:

  • CHIPPINDALL, L.K.A. 1955. A guide to the identification of grasses in South Africa. In D. Meredith, The grasses and pastures of South Africa . Central News Agency, Cape Town
  • CLAYTON, W.D. 1989. Gramineae . Flora zambesiaca 10, 3
  • CLAYTON, W.D. & RENVOIZE S.A. 1986. Genera graminum. Grasses of the world. Kew Bulletin . Additional series 13
  • GIBBS RUSSELL, G.E., WATSON, L., KOEKEMOER, M., SMOOK, L., BARKER, N.P., ANDERSON, H.M. & DALLWITZ. M.J. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 58
  • HUBBARD, C.E., & SCHWEICKERDT, H.G.W.J. 1936. Oryzidium , a new genus from South West Africa. Kew Bulletin 1936
  • LAUNERT, E. 1970. Gramineae . Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 160
  • WATSON, L. & DALLWITZ, M.J. 1994. The grass genera of the world , revised edn. CAB International, Oxon