Poaceae
Cynodon

Cynodon plectostachyus (K.Schum.) Pilg.

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 40: 82 (1907)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia to E. Tropical Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Stoloniferous perennial without rhizomes; stolons stout and woody, arching, up to 2 mm. in diameter; culms robust, erect, 30–90 cm. high and 1–4 mm. in diameter at the base.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades 10–30 cm. long, 4–7 mm. wide, thin, green, harshly scabrid and thinly pilose above and beneath; ligule hyaline, ± 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 7–20, stout, 3–7 cm. long, tending to curl inwards at maturity, borne in 2–7 closely spaced whorls (very rarely in a single whorl).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2.5–3 mm. long; glumes reduced to little triangular scales up to 1/5 as long as the spikelet, the lower 0.2–0.3 mm. long, the upper 0.4–0.6 mm.; lemma stiffly ciliate on the keel with hairs ± 0.3 mm. long, smooth or hispidulous on the flanks; palea stiffly ciliate on the keels.
Habitat
Deciduous bushland, usually in disturbed sites and weedy places; 1000–2000 m.
Distribution
K1 K3 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T5 U1
[FTEA]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; mat forming. Rhizomes absent. Stolons present; with alternating elongated and bunched internodes. Culms geniculately ascending; 30-90 cm long; 1-4 mm diam. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; hyaline. Leaf-blades flat; 10-30 cm long; 4-7 mm wide; mid-green. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides; pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 7-20; digitate; in several whorls; incurved; unilateral; 3-7 cm long. Rhachis flattened. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular; 2 -rowed. Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; 2.5-3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; 2.5-3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2-0.3 mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.4-0.6 mm long; 0.1-0.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; laterally compressed; 2.5-3 mm long; cartilaginous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate. Lemma surface glabrous, or hispidulous. Lemma hairs 0.3 mm long. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean.
Reference
Cynodonteae. FTEA.
[GB]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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

    • '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 2024. 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 2024. 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