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

Poaceae - Chloridoideae - Cynodonteae - Chloridinae - Schoenefeldia Kunth

Description :

  • Perennial or annual, tufted, sometimes geniculate
  • Leaf blade narrowly linear; ligule reduced to a short, fringed membrane
  • Inflorescence of solitary, paired or digitate, slender, 1-sided spikes; spikelets solitary, sessile
  • Spikelet strongly laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes; glumes very unequal, longer than spikelet, similar, membranous, 1-nerved, keeled, acute, mucronate or shortly awned
  • Florets 1 or 2; 1 bisexual; uppermost floret vestigial but awned; lowest lemma firmer than glumes, chartaceous or cartilaginous, shorter than glumes, ovate-elliptic, keeled, 3-nerved, hairy on nerves, incised, minutely 2-lobed, awned from between lobes; awn long, flexuous, entangled with awns of other spikelets in inflorescence; callus hairy; palea 2-nerved, 2-keeled
  • Lodicules 2
  • Stamens 3
  • Ovary glabrous; styles 2, plumose
  • Caryopsis (achene) narrowly ellipsoid, laterally compressed; pericarp free

Nomenclature:

  • Schoenefeldia Kunth
    • Kunth: 86 (1829)
    • Pilger: 95 (1956)
    • Hubbard: 309 (1974)
    • Clayton & Renvoize: 244 (1986)
    • Gibbs Russell et al.: 291 (1990)
    • Watson & Dallwitz: 850 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species 2, Africa, Madagascar and India
  • Southern Africa : Species 1: Schoenefeldia transiens (Pilg.) Chiov., Mpumalanga

References:

  • 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. 1974. Flora of tropical East Africa . Gramineae (Part 2)
  • KUNTH, C.S. 1829. Révision des graminées 1. Gide Sons, Paris
  • PILGER, R.K.F. 1956. Gramineae II. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien , edn 2, 14d
  • WATSON, L. & DALLWITZ, M.J. 1994. The grass genera of the world , revised edn. CAB International, Oxon