Perennial, tufted, with woody culms; culm sheath blades narrow
Leaf blade
linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, pseudopetiolated, expanded, deciduous from sheath
Inflorescence
a dense, spiny, globose cluster of spikelets at tips of leafy branchlets, each spikelet cluster subtended by a short-bladed papery sheath, and individual spikelets subtended by several short papery bracts
Spikelet
falling entire at maturity; glumes unequal, 17-30-nerved with cross-nerves connecting them
Florets
1-4; lower florets male or sterile; upper florets bisexual; lemma 11-23-nerved with cross-nerves, apically awned; palea 16-19-nerved
Lodicules
usually 0
Stamens
6; filaments united
Ovary
glabrous; apical appendage long, stiff and tapering
x = 12 (polyploidy)
Nomenclature:
Oxytenanthera
Munro
Munro: 126 (1868)
Henkel: 244 (1927)
Clayton: 11 (1970)
Clayton & Renvoize: 56 (1986)
Gibbs Russell et al.: 232 (1990)
Watson & Dallwitz: 683 (1994)
Distribution & Notes:
Global
: Species 1:
Oxytenanthera abyssinica
(A.Rich.) Munro, Africa
Southern Africa
: Specimens from Northern Province resemble this species vegetatively but until flowering material is obtained the identification will remain tentative
References:
CLAYTON, W.D. 1970.
Flora of tropical East Africa
.
Gramineae
(Part 1)
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
HENKEL, J.S. 1927.
Oxytenanthera
, occurrence, gregarious flowering and natural regeneration in Southern Rhodesia.
South African Journal of Science
24
MUNRO, W. 1868. A monograph ot the
Bambusaceae
, including descriptions of all the species.
Transactions of the Linnean Society
26
WATSON, L. & DALLWITZ, M.J. 1994.
The grass genera of the world
, revised edn. CAB International, Oxon
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