Poaceae
Melinis

Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka

First published in Biblioth. Bot. 38(138): 55 (1988)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Africa to Arabian Peninsula. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine, has environmental uses and for food.

Descriptions

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual or short-lived perennial up to 90 cm high; leaves not aromatic
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle ovate to oblong, (6–)8–15 cm long, fluffy, silvery-pink or purple
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets ovate, 2–12 mm long, usually villous with hairs extending 1–4 mm beyond the tip; lower glume narrowly oblong, (0.6–)1.5–3(–4.3) mm long, distant from the upper; upper glume thinly 5-nerved, conspicuously gibbous, chartaceous, tapering to a glabrous membranous beak 1/4–1/2 its length, emarginate, mucronate or with an inconspicuous awn up to 7(–10) mm long; lower lemma resembling the upper glume but narrower and less gibbous.
[FSOM]

Morphology General Habit
Annual, or perennial; short-lived; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 20-150 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 5-30 cm long; 2-10 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; 5-20 cm long. Panicle branches capillary. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; sinuous; glabrous, or ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; gibbous; 2-12 mm long; falling entire; readily shedding fertile florets. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes (0.2-1.7 mm long).
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; gibbous; 2-12 mm long; falling entire; readily shedding fertile florets. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes (0.2-1.7 mm long).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; (0.3-)0.6-3(-4.3) mm long; 0.1-0.4 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0-1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface villous. Lower glume hairs white, or purple. Lower glume apex emarginate, or truncate. Upper glume ovate; gibbous; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; much thinner above; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or villous; hairy below. Upper glume margins eciliate, or ciliate. Upper glume hairs white, or purple. Upper glume apex lobed; 2 -fid; rostrate; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0-7(-10) mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; gibbous; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; much thinner above; 5 -veined; glabrous, or villous; hairy below; ciliate on margins; bearing white hairs, or purple hairs; bearing hairs 2-6 mm long; lobed; 2 -fid; rostrate; mucronate, or awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 0-7(-10) mm long. Palea of lower sterile floret pilose. Fertile lemma oblong; laterally compressed; 2-2.5 mm long; cartilaginous; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex emarginate. Palea cartilaginous; without keels.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Stigmas laterally exserted.
Distribution
Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[GB]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Orinoquia. Elevation range: 0–2500 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Arauca, Boyacá, Caldas, Cesar, Cundinamarca, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology
Alt. 0 - 2500 m.
Morphology General Habit
Herb.
Distribution
Introduced and naturalised in Colombia.
Conservation
Not Evaluated.
[UPB]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Naturalizada y adventicia en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 2500 m.; Andes, Orinoquia, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

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
grama seda, paja brillante, paja rosada, pajillita rosada, pasto brillante, pasto natal, pasto rosado
[UNAL]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual 60–90 cm. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicles fluffy, silvery white to pink.
Ecology
A weed of old farmland.
[FWTA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual or loosely tufted perennial; culms 30–100 cm. high, erect or ascending.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades flat or folded, 5–30 cm. long, 2–10 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle ovate to oblong, 5–20 cm. long, fluffy, silvery pink or purple; pedicels usually pilose at the tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets ovate, 2.5–8.5 mm. long, villous with hairs extending 1–4 mm. beyond the tip; lower glume narrowly oblong, 0.3–3.5 mm. long, separated from the upper by an internode 0.1–1.2 mm. long; upper glume conspicuously gibbous, chartaceous, tapering to a glabrous membranous beak 1/4–1/2 its length, emarginate, mucronate or with an inconspicuous awn up to 7(–10) mm. long; lower floret male or barren, its lemma narrower and less gibbous than the upper glume, its palea ciliate on the keels.
Figures
Fig. 125.
Habitat
A weed of disturbed places and old farmland, often forming extensive stands; 0–2500 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 P T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 throughout Africaintroduced to most other tropical countries
[FTEA]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Use Medicines
Medicinal (State of the World's Plants 2016).
[UPB]

Common Names

English
Fairy grass, Natal Red Top, Red top grass

Sources

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

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

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • 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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

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

  • 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

  • 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 Vascular Plants 2023. 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 2023. 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

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

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

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

  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

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