Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Panicum L.

Panicum haplocaulos Pilg.

This species is accepted, and its native range is Senegal to Ethiopia, Tanzania to Zambia.

[FZ]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora Zambesiaca 10:3. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Slender, glabrous or sparsely pilose annual with erect culms 25–60 cm. high.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf laminae 7–25 cm. long and 2–6 mm. wide, linear, acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 5–20 cm. long, ovate, sparsely to moderately branched, the branches delicate, ascending or spreading.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2–2.5 mm. long, ovate-elliptic, glabrous, acute or apiculate; inferior glume 1/3–1/2 the length of the spikelet, broadly ovate, 3-nerved, acute; superior glume ovate, 7-nerved, acute; inferior lemma ovate, 7-nerved, sterile, its palea absent; superior lemma and palea dark, glossy.

[FTEA]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit
Slender annual; culms 30–60 cm. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades linear, 7–25 cm. long, 2–6 mm. wide, straight at the base, glabrous, scabrid above, acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle ovate, 5–20 cm. long, modestly branched, the branches fine and spreading.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets ovate-elliptic, 2–3 mm. long, glabrous, acute; lower glume ovate, 1/2 the length of the spikelet, 3-nerved, acute or acuminate; upper glume ovate, 7-nerved, acute; lower lemma ovate, 7-nerved, sterile, its palea absent; upper lemma dark and glossy.
Habitat
Swampy ground; 900–1900 m.
Distribution
Senegal to Sudan, Zambia and Malawi T4 T8

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms slender; 30-60 cm long. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades parallel-sided; 7-25 cm long; 2-6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 5-20 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches capillary. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acute; 2-3 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acute; 2-3 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; dorsally compressed; 1.5-2.5 mm long; indurate; dark brown, or black; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate.
Distribution
Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.

Native to:

Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia

Panicum haplocaulos Pilg. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Schweinfurth, G. [2003], Sudan K000256713 isotype Yes
Schweinfurth, G. [2003], Sudan K000256714 isotype Yes

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 33: 49 (1902)

Accepted by

  • Boudet, G., Lebrun, J.P. & Demange, R. (1986). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali: 1-465. Etudes d'Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux.
  • Clayton, W.D. & Renvoize, S.A. (1982). Gramineae Flora of Tropical East Africa 3: 451-898.
  • Clayton, W.D. (1989). Flora Zambesiaca 10(3): 1-231. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Hedberg, I. & Edwards, S. (eds.) (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 7: 1-430. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Onana, J.M. (2011). The vascular plants of Cameroon a taxonomic checklist with IUCN assessments: 1-195. National herbarium of Cameroon, Yaoundé.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Boudet, G., Lebrun, J.P. & Demange, R. (1986). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali: 1-465. Etudes d'Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux.
  • Hedberg, I. & Edwards, S. (eds.) (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 7: 1-430. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • F. W. Andr., The Flowering Plants of the Sudan 3: 502 (1956).
  • Pilg. in A. Engler, Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 33: 49 (1902).
  • Stapf in Flora of Tropical Africa 9: 705 (1920).
  • Troupin, Fl. Garamba 1: 64 (1956).

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0