Poaceae
Loudetia

Loudetia flavida (Stapf) C.E.Hubb.

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1934: 429 (1934)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa, S. Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pubescent, or woolly. Culms 30-150 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades linear, or filiform; 15-40 cm long; 2-5 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; bearing juvenile spikelets at emergence. Panicle open; linear, or lanceolate, or ovate; dense, or loose; 10-30 cm long. Panicle branches glabrous, or pubescent, or villous (rarely). Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels glabrous, or pubescent, or villous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 6-12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 0.5-0.7 mm long; pubescent; truncate.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 6-12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 0.5-0.7 mm long; pubescent; truncate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume ovate; 3-6 mm long; 0.5-0.66 length of spikelet; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or setose; with tubercle-based hairs. Lower glume apex acuminate, or setaceously attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; lanceolate; 6-12 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; 3 -veined; acuminate. Fertile lemma oblong; 4-5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; with triangular lobes; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 15-35 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate; thickened.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; anther tip smooth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia.
Reference
Arundinelleae. 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]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • 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