Leaf blade expanded or rolled, linear, usually mainly cauline; ligule a fringed membrane
Inflorescence a single cylindrical spike with spikelets sunken and closely adpressed in depressions on alternate sides of main axis, axis disarticulating at joints; spikelets solitary, sessile
Spikelet 8-22 mm long, dorsiventrally compressed, falling with glumes; glumes very dissimilar, unequal; lower glume minute or 0; upper glume coriaceous, longer than spikelet and covering lemma, facing outwards, lanceolate, 5-12-nerved, awned; glumes of terminal spikelet both well developed, equal, similar
Floret 1, rarely 2, bisexual; upper floret reduced and sterile occasionally fertile; lemma less firm than glumes, membranous, lanceolate, obtuse to acute, rounded on back, 3-nerved, awnless; palea as long as lemma, lanceolate, 2-nerved, hyaline
BROWN, R. 1810. Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van-Diemen. 1. J. Johnson & Co, London
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)
PILGER, R.K.F. 1956. Gramineae II. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, edn 2, 14d
STAPF, O. 1898-1900. Gramineae. Flora capensis 7
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.
