Leaf blade
rolled, folded or flat; ligule a short, fringed, hyaline membrane
Inflorescence
a solitary, slender, straight or gradually curved terminal spike; spikelets sessile, solitary, closely or loosely 2-ranked on opposite or subopposite sides of rachis, ± embedded in rachis; rachis tough or fracturing tardily in segments of 1-4(8) spikelets
Spikelet
2.5-4.5 mm long, laterally compressed; glumes of terminal spikelet equal and similar; glumes of lateral spikelets unequal, dissimilar, awnless; lower glume suppressed or reduced; upper glume narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, rigid except at hyaline margins, subacute to acuminate, (1-)3-nerved
Floret
1, (rarely 2), bisexual; lemma oblong or lanceolate, membranous, distinctly or obscurely keeled, at least in upper part, finely 1-3-nerved, hairy along nerves, truncate or minutely 3-lobed, mucronate; palea equalling lemma, faintly 2-nerved
Lodicules
2, minute, cuneate
Stamens
3; anthers minute
Ovary
glabrous; styles slender, distinct, plumose
Caryopsis
ellipsoid-oblong
x = 10 (polyploidy)
Nomenclature:
Oropetium
Trin.
Trinius: 98 (1820)
Stapf: 741 (1900)
Stent: 303 (1924)
Phillips: 146 (1951)
Chippindall: 204 (1955)
Renvoize: 306 (1974)
Phillips: 467 (1975)
Clayton & Renvoize: 211 (1986)
Gibbs Russell et al.: 228 (1990)
Watson & Dallwitz: 668 (1994)
Distribution & Notes:
Global
: Species 3-6, dry areas of India and Africa
Southern Africa
: Species 1:
Oropetium capense
Stapf, widespread
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. 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
PHILLIPS, E.P. 1951. The genera of South African flowering plants.
Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa
No. 25
PHILLIPS, S.M. 1975. A review of the genus
Oropetium
(
Gramineae
).
Kew Bulletin
30
RENVOIZE, S.A. 1974.
Flora of tropical East Africa
.
Gramineae
(Part 2)
STAPF, O. 1898-1900.
Gramineae
.
Flora capensis
7
STENT, S.M. 1924. South African
Gramineae
. Grasses of the Transvaal as represented in the National Herbarium.
Bothalia
1
WATSON, L. & DALLWITZ, M.J. 1994.
The grass genera of the world
, revised edn. CAB International, Oxon
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