Poaceae
Agrostis

Agrostis gracilifolia C.E.Hubb.

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1936: 307 (1936)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia to Tanzania. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the montane tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 5-60 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform, or aciculate; involute; 2-2.5 cm long; 1 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation, or with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface smooth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; oblong; 2-20 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches stiff; smooth, or scaberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels smooth, or scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 2-4 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 2-4 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 2-4 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume surface smooth. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2-4 mm long; 1-1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume surface smooth. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 2-3 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins excurrent. Lemma surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex truncate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.25 way up back of lemma; geniculate; 3-5 mm long overall; with twisted column. Palea 1 length of lemma; hyaline; 2 -veined. Rhachilla extension 0.1-0.2 length of fertile floret; pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear. Endosperm farinose.
Distribution
Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical.
Reference
Aveneae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Densely tufted perennial; culms 5–60 cm. high, erect.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades involute, subulate to filiform, 2–25 cm. long, rarely opened out and 1 mm. wide, stiff, the undersurface smooth and striate or with a continuous layer of sclerenchyma masking the striations.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle narrowly oblong, 2–20 cm. long, open, with stiff, spreading, trichotomously divided branches; pedicels and branches smooth or slightly scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets lanceolate, 2–4 mm. long, green or purple; glumes persistent, lanceolate, subequal, 3-nerved, sparsely scaberulous on the keel, acute; lemma ovate-oblong, 2–3 mm. long, glabrous or very rarely sparsely pubescent, 5-nerved, the outermost nerves excurrent into mucros, awned from one-quarter the way up the back; awn geniculate, 3–5 mm. long; palea as long as the lemma; rhachilla-extension 0.2–0.8 mm. long, hairy.
Habitat
Upland grassland and moor, usually in moist or boggy places; 2800–4400 m.
Distribution
K3 K4 U2 U3
[FTEA]

Sources

  • 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

    • 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 2022 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 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0