Koeleria capensis (Thunb.) Nees

Morphology General Habit

Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths papery; not bulbous, or thickened and forming a bulb; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 20-80 cm long. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-2 mm long. Leaf-blades convolute; 5-30 cm long; 0.5-2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; linear, or lanceolate; continuous, or interrupted; 4-15 cm long. Panicle branches pubescent. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets comprising 1-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 4-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; pubescent.

Fertile

Spikelets comprising 1-3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 4-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture; shiny; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.5-6 mm long; 0.8-1 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4.5-6 mm long; 0.8-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume apex acuminate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Fertile lemma elliptic; 3-6.5 mm long; membranous; much thinner on margins; shiny; keeled; keeled above; 3 -veined. Lemma surface asperulous. Lemma apex acute, or acuminate. Palea gaping. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Lodicules 2; oblong; membranous; 2-toothed. Anthers 3; (1-)1.8-2.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

Distribution

Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.

Reference

Aveneae. FTEA.

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

Morphology General Habit

Tufted perennial, 23–45 cm. high.

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

Morphology General Habit

Densely caespitose perennial; culms 20–80 cm. high, simple, erect, bulbous at the base.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades 5–30 cm. long and up to 2 mm. wide, convolute, stiff and wiry, glabrous or pubescent; ligule up to 2 mm. long, membranous; old leaf-sheaths shredding into stiff brown slivers forming a dense tuft about the base of the culm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle linear to lanceolate, 4–15 cm. long, dense and continuous or lobed and interrupted; rhachis pubescent to tomentose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 1–3-flowered, green, purplish or palely shining; glumes glabrous or minutely pubescent, acute or acuminate, the lower narrowly lanceolate, shorter than the upper, 1-nerved, the upper elliptic, 3.5–6 mm. long, 1–3-nerved; lemmas elliptic, 3–5 mm. long, 3-nerved, asperulous, acute to acuminate, rarely obtuse or mucronate; anthers (1–)1.8–2.5 mm. long.

Figures

Fig. 27, p. 80.

Habitat

Upland grassland and moorland, sometimes on dry open ground with little vegetation; 1800–5300 m.

Distribution

from the Cameroun Republic and Ethiopia southwards to the Cape K2 K3 K4 K5 T2 T7 T8 U1 U3

Gramineae, E. Launert. Flora Zambesiaca 10:1. 1971

Morphology General Habit

A densely caespitose very variable perennial.

Morphology Culms

Culms 15-90 cm. tall, 1-2-noded, erect or rarely geniculately ascending, simple, slender, almost wiry, terete, glabrous to sometimes thinly tomentose in the upper part.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves densely crowded at the slightly thickened base; leaf-sheaths longer than the lower internodes, striate, usually somewhat loose, often papery, long persistent, glabrous or pubescent.

Morphology Leaves Ligules

Ligule c. 2 mm. long.

Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina

Leaf-laminae 3-35 cm. long, very narrowly linear to filiform, tapering to a hard bluntish tip, usually convolute or simply plicate, somewhat stiff, usually erect or nearly so, glabrous or pubescent, smooth or finely asperulous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicle (3)5-12(17) cm. long, erect, more or less cylindric, rather condensed, almost spike-like, continuous, or sometimes lobed and often interrupted; rhachis pubescent to thinly tomentose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 4-7 mm. long, 2-4-flowered, elliptic to elliptic-obovate in lateral view, gaping, green, often tinged with purple, or sometimes variegated with brown and purple.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes with the keels scabrous or sometimes ciliolate towards the apex, margins hyaline and thin; the inferior 3.5-6 mm. long, 1-nerved, narrowly lanceolate; the superior 4.5-6 mm. long, usually 3-nerved, elliptic, apex acuminate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma

Lemmas 4-6.5 mm. long, 3-nerved, elliptic to elliptic-oblong, apex acuminate, with the keel scaberulous or sometimes ciliolate, the flanks asperulous or finely puberulous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers 2-3 mm. long, linear.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Caryopsis c. 3 mm. long.