Poaceae
Ampelodesmos

Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Poir.) T.Durand & Schinz

First published in Consp. Fl. Afric. 5: 874 (1894)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. & Central Medit. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Culms 100-200 cm long. Culm-internodes solid. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 8-20 mm long; lacerate. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 30-100 cm long; 4-7 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle contracted; lanceolate; 25-50 cm long. Primary panicle branches 5-10 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous; bearded in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10-16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; villous; hairy above; with 2 mm long hairs. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 0.2 length of lemma.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10-16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; villous; hairy above; with 2 mm long hairs. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 0.2 length of lemma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 6-9 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 10-12 mm long; 0.8-1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 9-15 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate; hairy below. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 1-2 mm long overall. Palea linear; 0.75 length of lemma; coriaceous; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 3; lanceolate; 2-3 mm long; membranous; ciliate; acute. Anthers 3; 5 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear; sulcate on hilar side; 5-6 mm long; hairy at apex. Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: western Asia. North America: southwest USA.
Reference
Poeae. WDC.
[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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Common Names

English
Mauritania Vine Reed

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 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 Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images