Poaceae
Loudetia

Loudetia furtiva Jacq.-Fél.

First published in Adansonia, n.s., 12: 238 (1972)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Cameroon. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/110090845/110090847

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms erect; slender; 30-80 cm long; 1-1.5 mm diam.; 3-5 -noded. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths 2-3 cm long; hirsute; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 8-10 cm long; 2-5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface hirsute; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins entire; tuberculate-ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; bearing juvenile spikelets at emergence. Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 10-20 cm long. Panicle branches flexuous; smooth, or scaberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 10-30 mm long; smooth, or scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 8-10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5 mm long; bearded; 2-toothed.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 8-10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5 mm long; bearded; 2-toothed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic, or oblong; 3 mm long; 0.3-0.4 length of spikelet; chartaceous; light brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy on veins; with tubercle-based hairs. Lower glume apex entire, or dentate; 3 -fid; when entire truncate. Upper glume oblong; 8-10 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; light brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy on veins; with tubercle-based hairs. Upper glume apex truncate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; lanceolate, or oblong; 1 length of spikelet; 3 -veined; glabrous, or pilose; hairy on veins; with tubercle-based hairs; truncate. Palea of lower sterile floret 0.5 length of lemma. Fertile lemma oblong; 4 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex emarginate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 50-65 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Column of lemma awn 20 mm long. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate; thickened.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 2; anther tip smooth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.
Distribution
Africa: west-central tropical.
Reference
Arundinelleae. Jac-Fel.
[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: confident
[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

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/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