Leaf blade linear, expanded; ligule an unfringed to minutely fringed membrane
Inflorescence a false spike, with clusters of spikelets arranged in dense, globose clusters at intervals on a central axis or confluent and forming a cylinder; usually clusters subtended by enlarged, spreading glumes of lower spikelets, these linear and tapering into acuminate tips
Spikelet laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes; glumes ± equal to slightly unequal, shorter than to as long as spikelet, lanceolate, membranous, glabrous, 1-nerved, keeled, acuminate to aristate, awned or awnless
Florets 2-6; lower floret bisexual; uppermost floret sterile or male; lemma 3-nerved, keeled, hairy or glabrous, short central awn present; awn straight, shorter than body of lemma; palea shorter than lemma, variously lobed at apex, 2-keeled, keels narrowly to broadly winged, wings entire or variously notched
Global: Species 2-4, tropical Africa, Asia and Australia
Southern Africa: Species 2, Namibia, Botswana and northern provinces of South Africa
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. 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
LAUNERT, E. 1970. Gramineae. Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 160
PALISOT DE BEAUVOIS, A.M.F.J. 1812. Essai d'une nouvelle agrostographie. Fain, Paris
SCHWEICKERDT, H.G. 1942. A taxonomic and anatomical study of Elytrophorus Beauv. Annals of the Natal Museum 10
WATSON, L. & DALLWITZ, M.J. 1994. The grass genera of the world, revised edn. CAB International, Oxon
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Welcome to Biodiversity Advisor 2.0!
Biodiversity Advisor, developed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and its Data Partners, is a system that will provide integrated biodiversity information to a wide range of users who will have access to geospatial data, plant and animal species distribution data, ecosystem-level data, literature, images and metadata.
The integrated information comes from our much-loved Botanical Database of Southern Africa (BODATSA) also known as Plants of Southern Africa (POSA), Zoological Database of Southern Africa (ZODATSA), Biodiversity Geographic Information System (BGIS), SANBI's institutional repository (Opus) and others.
The system is still under development, so you may find a few bugs/issues. If you do, please report it via the error reporting button available in various sections of the website or provide us with any useful feedback you may have via the ‘Give us feedback’ option available in the sidebar menu. You can create a free account for yourself by clicking on the user profile icon which will take you through to the login page. Here you can choose the ‘Create an account’ option or simply fill in your details if you have an account already. Having an account on Biodiversity Advisor will provide users with free access to biodiversity resources.
In future, Team SANBI will be able to log in using their day-to-day login details, BGIS users will be able to use their existing accounts and details, and general users will be able to log in using their LinkedIn profile, but for now you will need to create an account.
