Poaceae
Dinebra

Dinebra retroflexa (Vahl) Panz.

First published in Ideen Rev. Gräser: 20 (1813)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Africa to India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It is an annual 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]

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Culms 15-112 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glandular. Ligule an eciliate membrane, or a ciliolate membrane; 1.2-1.6 mm long; lacerate. Leaf-blades 4.5-28 cm long; 4-8 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes numerous; borne along a central axis; deflexed, or spreading; linear, or oblong, or cuneate; unilateral; 0.6-5 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets, or many spikelets; bearing 2-20 fertile spikelets on each; simple. Central inflorescence axis 8-34 cm long. Rhachis deciduous from axis; narrowly winged; flattened. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 5.7-9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 5.7-9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; recurved at apex. Lower glume elliptic; 6.1-8.2 mm long; 0.9-1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex caudate. Upper glume elliptic; 6.1-8.2 mm long; 3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex caudate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 2.1-2.9 mm long; membranous; keeled; lightly keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein pubescent; hairy below. Lemma lateral veins close to margins. Lemma margins pubescent; hairy below. Lemma apex emarginate, or acute; mucronate. Palea 0.8-0.9 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels pubescent. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; isodiametric; trigonous; 1 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: north, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: western Asia, Arabia, and China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia. Australasia: Australia.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Type
India, La Mark (C, holo., K, microfiche!)
Morphology General Habit
Loosely tufted annual; culms up to 112 cm. high, slender, usually straggling and ascending from a decumbent base, infrequently erect, much branched and often rooting at the lower nodes
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glandular especially on the sheaths; leaf-blades 4.5–28 cm. long, 4–8 mm. wide, finely pointed
Morphology Leaves Ligules
Ligule 1.2–1.6 mm. long, minutely lacerate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 8–34 cm. long, linear with short oblong to wedge-shaped densely crowded spikes, varying to elliptic-oblong or pyramidal with longer linear spikes spaced up to 3 cm. apart; spikes 0.6–5(–7) cm. long, stiff, ascending at first, reflexing and deciduous at maturity
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 1–3-flowered, narrowly wedge-shaped, 5.7–9 mm. long, closely overlapping on the flattened, narrowly green-winged rhachis
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes narrowly elliptic with caudate curving tips, 6.1–8.2 mm. long, coriaceous, asymmetric, usually overlapping on the abaxial side and obscuring the florets, glandular along the keel
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma
Lemmas narrowly ovate, 2.1–2.9 mm. long, coriaceous, asymmetric, usually overlapping on the abaxial side and obscuring the florets, glandular along the keel
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Palea
Palea appressed pilose on the flaps alongside the keels
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis ± 1 mm. long
Distribution
From Egypt through tropical Africa to South Africa, excluding the Congo basin. The typical variety occurs over much of tropical Africa northwards to Egypt and eastwards into Iraq and India.
Ecology
Altitude range 300–1830 m.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • 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 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images