Poaceae
Isachne

Isachne mauritiana Kunth

First published in Révis. Gramin. 1: 243 (1830)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa, W. Indian Ocean. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Rambling perennial, culms 30–60 cm. high, geniculately ascending from a prostrate base rooting at the nodes.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 7–20 cm. long, 5–17 mm. wide, glabrous, scaberulous, sparsely and stiffly pilose, or pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle broadly ovate, 10–20 cm. long, very loose and open, the branches obliquely spreading.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets obovoid, 1.2–1.8 mm. long, the florets hermaphrodite and contiguous; glumes very broadly elliptic, as long as the florets, 5–9-nerved, glabrous or with a few hairs towards the apex; lemmas broadly elliptic to subrotund, the lower a little longer than the upper, thinly coriaceous, glabrous.
Figures
Fig. 118.
Habitat
Forest shade; 1000–2600 m.
Distribution
Cameroun and Zaire to RhodesiaMadagascar and Mauritiusa few records from Nigeria and Ghana K3 K4 K5 K7 T1 T2 T3 T6 T7 U2 U4
[FTEA]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Ecology
In forest shade.
[FWTA]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms prostrate; 30-60 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 5-20 cm long; 5-17 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent, or pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 10-20 cm long. Panicle branches capillary. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; dorsally compressed; 1.2-1.8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; dorsally compressed; 1.2-1.8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes deciduous; similar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1.2-1.8 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5-9 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy above. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; 1.2-1.8 mm long; membranous; without keels; 5-9 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy above. Upper glume apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile florets all alike. Fertile lemma orbicular; 1-1.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5-7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea coriaceous; 2 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; orbicular; dorsally compressed; plano-convex.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and western Indian ocean.
Reference
Isachneae. FTEA.
[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]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora Zambesiaca 10:3. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Rambling perennial.
Morphology Culms
Culms 30–60 cm. high, geniculately ascending from a prostrate base rooting at the nodes.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf laminae 5–20 cm. long, 3–17 mm. wide, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 10–20 cm. long, diffuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 1.2–1.8 mm. long, obovoid, the florets bisexual and contiguous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes as long as spikelet, glabrous or with a few hairs towards the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma
Lemmas broadly elliptic to subrotund, the inferior a little larger than the superior, crustaceous, glabrous, obtuse.
[FZ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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