Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Hordeum L.

Hordeum capense Thunb.

This species is accepted, and its native range is S. Africa.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms 20-60 cm long; 3-5 -noded. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3-0.9 mm long. Leaf-blades 6-17 cm long; 3-6 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy adaxially.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 1; single; linear; bilateral; 5-9 cm long; 8-17 mm wide. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; scabrous on margins; ciliate on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes oblong; 1.3-2.3 mm long; falling with spikelet above. Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; 1.7-2.6 mm long.
Sterile
Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 13-23 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes subulate. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 1; 7-9 mm long; 1-awned; with 2-9 mm long awn.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 11-23 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 13-23 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes subulate. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 1; 7-9 mm long; 1-awned; with 2-9 mm long awn.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 11-23 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes collateral; similar. Lower glume subulate; 11-23 mm long; 1 length of upper glume. Upper glume subulate; 11-23 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6-9.8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 7-22 mm long overall; limb scabrous. Rhachilla extension 3-7 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 1.6-4.3 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; sulcate on hilar side; hairy at apex. Hilum linear.
Distribution
Africa: south.
Reference
Triticeae. Bothmer 1993.

Native to:

Cape Provinces, Free State, Lesotho, Northern Provinces

Hordeum capense Thunb. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Jan 1, 1983 Drege [s.n.], South Africa K000367318 Yes
Jan 1, 1983 Drege [s.n.], South Africa K000367317 Yes

First published in Prodr. Pl. Cap.: 23 (1794)

Accepted by

  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

  • 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 Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0