Chloris barbata Sw.

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial; culms up to 1 m. high, loosely tufted, stoloniferous.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades flat, rarely involute, up to 40 cm. long, 2–3 mm. wide, tapering towards the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence of 5–15(–22) digitate, loose to spreading, purplish, feathery spikes 4–8 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 3-flowered, 3-awned; lower glume 1.2–1.5 mm. long; upper glume 1.7–2.5 mm. long; lowest lemma narrowly ovate-elliptic in side view, 2–2.5 mm. long, pallid, sparsely to densely ciliate on the margins and keel, the awn 4.5–7 mm. long; callus rounded, ciliate; 2nd lemma a glabrous clavate scale 1–1.5 mm. long, projecting from the side of the lowest lemma, different in shape, its awn 2.5–7 mm. long; 3rd lemma also reduced to a glabrous clavate scale 1 mm. long, its awn 3–5 mm. long.

Habitat

Waste places or disturbed ground usually near the coast, generally on poor soils; sea-level to 400 m.

Distribution

K7 P T3 T6 Z widespread throughout the tropics

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

paja blanca, pasto blanco

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit

Annual, 30–60 cm. high, often stoloniferous

Ecology

Roadsides and waste lands.

Morphology General Habit

Annual, or perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal; flabellate. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 20-100 cm long. Culm-internodes elliptical in section. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.25 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 4-40 cm long; 2-3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 5-20; digitate; unilateral; 4-8 cm long. Rhachis subterete. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 2-2.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded; obtuse. Floret callus hairs 0.2-0.3 length of lemma.

Fertile

Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 2-2.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded; obtuse. Floret callus hairs 0.2-0.3 length of lemma.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.2-1.5 mm long; 0.6 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1.7-2.5 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Fertile lemma elliptic to oblong; laterally compressed; elliptic in profile (narrowly); 2-2.5 mm long; cartilaginous; pallid; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate; hairy above. Lemma lateral veins close to margins. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy all along. Lemma hairs 1-1.5 mm long. Lemma apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 4.5-7 mm long overall; limb scaberulous. Palea elliptic; 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea apex obtuse. Apical sterile florets 2 in number; barren; separate; cuneate. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 2.5-7 mm long; 2 per spikelet in number.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.6-0.7 mm long. Stigmas 2.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; dorsally compressed; trigonous; estipitate; without sulcus; 1.2 mm long; smooth; apex unappendaged. Embryo 0.75 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform. Endosperm farinose.

Distribution

Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: western Asia, Arabia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

Reference

Cynodonteae. WDC.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean, Guiana Shield, Caribbean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–2500 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Arauca, Atlántico, Bolívar, Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vichada.

Habit

Herb.

Conservation

National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular

BITTER GRASS

Morphology Culms

Culms rather stout; leaf-blades up to 15 mm broad, scabrous toward the long-acuminate tip

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Spikes 5–10, pale; spikelets closely imbricate, silky; first lemma ca. 2.5 mm long, pubescent on the keel, long-ciliate on the margins, the hairs 2 mm long, the awn about as long as the lemmas; second lemma shorter and narrower than the first, the awn ca. 2 mm long.

Distribution

Grand Cayman, Florida and the West Indies south to Brazil.

Ecology

Chiefly in grassy fields.

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology

Alt. 0 - 2500 m.

Morphology General Habit

Herb.

Distribution

Native from Colombia.

Conservation

Not Evaluated.

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Tufted annual, with compressed culms mostly 30–75 cm tall; leaf-blades up to 20 cm long or more, 2–5 mm broad, glabrous except at the junction of the sheath where a few long scattered hairs occur; sheath glabrous and markedly keeled; ligule small, ciliate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence of mostly 5–8 reddish-purple spikes, 4–6 cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 3-flowered with one fertile and two sterile florets; lemmas of the three florets each with an awn ca. 7mm long.

Distribution

Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Mexico and the West Indies south to Argentina.

Ecology

A common weed of roadsides, pastures and sandy waste ground.

Use Animal Food Grains & Cereals

Eaten by animals (State of the World's Plants 2016).