Poaceae
Panicum

Panicum fontanale Swallen

First published in Phytologia 14: 80 (1966)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Venezuela (Bolívar). It is a perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms erect; 45-50 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths as wide as blade at the collar; glabrous on surface. Ligule absent. Leaf-blades 15-30 cm long; 2-3.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 9 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading, or reflexed. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3.2 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3.2 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels. Lower glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2 mm long; indurate; pallid; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
South America: northern South America.
Reference
Paniceae. Swallen 2002.
[GB]

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0