Leaf blade
expanded, usually hairy, margins thickened, white; ligule a narrow, fringed membrane
Inflorescence
of slender, 1-sided, spike-like racemes, digitate, rachis triquetrous with narrow, fringed wings; spikelets paired, unequally pedicelled
Spikelet
narrowly lanceolate, dorsiventrally compressed, falling with glumes; glumes unequal; lower glume absent; upper glume a minute scale
Florets
2; lower floret sterile; lemma flat on back with rounded sides, prominently 5-7-nerved, coarsely scabrid on nerves, awned from entire apex; awn straight, fine, 6-26 mm long; palea minute; upper floret bisexual; lemma firmer than glumes, papery, dark brown, margins thin, hyaline, enfolding and concealing palea, awnless; palea as long as lemma, dark brown
Lodicules
0
Stamens
3
Ovary
glabrous, ovoid or ellipsoid; styles distinct, terminally exserted
Caryopsis
narrowly ellipsoid, dorsally flattened
Nomenclature:
Stereochlaena
Hack.
Hackel: 65 (1908)
Chippindall: 425 (1955)
Clayton & Renvoize: 655 (1982)
Clayton & Renvoize: 298 (1986)
Clayton: 128 (1989)
Gibbs Russell et al.: 315 (1990)
Watson & Dallwitz: 904 (1994)
Distribution & Notes:
Global
: Species 5, tropical East Africa to southern Africa
Southern Africa
: Species 1:
Stereochlaena cameronii
(Stapf) Pilg., Botswana, Northern Province and North-West
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. & RENVOIZE, S.A. 1982.
Flora of tropical East Africa
.
Gramineae
(Part 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
HACKEL, E. 1908. Description of new Rhodesian grasses.
Procceedings of the Rhodesian Scientific Association
7, 2
WATSON, L. & DALLWITZ, M.J. 1994.
The grass genera of the world
, revised edn. CAB International, Oxon
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