Poaceae
Isachne

Isachne gossweileri Stapf & C.E.Hubb.

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1933: 301 (1933)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Angola. It is a climbing perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms rambling; slender; 30-50 cm long. Culm-internodes terete; smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths loose; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; striately veined; smooth; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1-2 mm long. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 6-10 cm long; 3-6 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 6-8 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; pubescent; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; smooth, or scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; loose; 6-10 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches spreading; 1 -nate; 2-3.5 cm long. Panicle axis smooth. Panicle branches bearing approximate spikelets. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; unequal; 0.5-2 mm long; tip widened.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.2-1.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.2-1.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet, or reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1.1-1.5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 0.95-1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume surface puberulous; hairy at apex. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; 1.1-1.5 mm long; 0.95-1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5-7 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous; hairy at apex. Upper glume apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile florets female; with the lowest dissimilar. Lowest fertile lemma bisexual, or female; elliptic; 1.2-1.5 mm long; thinner than adjacent lemma; glabrous. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 0 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 1 length of lemma; coriaceous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.6-0.7 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
Africa: southern tropical.
Reference
Isachneae. FTA 1998.
[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: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

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 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