Poaceae
Panicum

Panicum coloratum L.

First published in Mant. Pl. 1: 30 (1767)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Egypt to S. Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rootstock evident. Cataphylls inconspicuous, or evident. Culms erect, or decumbent; 15-100 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent (rarely). Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose, or hispid. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base simple, or broadly rounded, or cordate. Leaf-blades (3-)12-30 cm long; (2-)5-10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose. Leaf-blade apex acute, or acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; oblong; 4-30(-40) cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending, or spreading. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; obtuse, or acute, or acuminate; 2-3 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; obtuse, or acute, or acuminate; 2-3 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.25-0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1(-3) -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7-9 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7-9 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; dorsally compressed; 1.5-2.5 mm long; indurate; pallid; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate.
Distribution
Africa: north, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and middle Atlantic ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern and north-central. North America: south-central USA.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial up to 1·2 m. high
Note
Introduced as a fodder grass.
[FWTA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial, pubescent or subglabrous, the base usually knotty or slightly swollen, often with persistent scales; culms usually erect, 15–100 cm. high or more, rarely the culms decumbent; nodes glabrous, rarely hairy.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-sheaths glabrous, pilose or with stiff tubercle-based hairs; blades linear, (3–)12–30 cm. long, (2–)5–10(–12) mm. wide, straight to almost amplexicaul at the base, flat, glabrous or hairy, acute or acuminate, Panicle ovate, 4–30(–40 in glaucous forms) cm. long, usually much branched, contracted or spreading, the branches ascending and naked at the base with the spikelets evenly dispersed, rarely little branched and the spikelets clustered.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets ovate-elliptic, 2–3 mm. long, green, often tinged with purple, obtuse, acute or occasionally acuminate; lower glume ovate, 1/4–1/3 the length of the spikelet, membranous, 1(–3)-nerved, cuff-like, clasping, acute; upper glume broadly ovate, as long as the spikelet, 7–9-nerved, acute; lower lemma similar to the upper glume, ♂, its palea well developed; upper lemma pale and glossy.
[FTEA]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Tufted, pubescent or subglabrous perennial, the base usually knotty or slightly swollen, often with persistent scales
Morphology Stem
Stems erect, up to 200 cm high, sometimes more, rarely decumbent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves linear, 3–30 cm x 2–12 mm, straight or subamplexicaul at the base, flat, glabrous or hairy, acute or acuminate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle ovate, 4–30 cm long, usually much-branched, contracted or spreading, the branches ascending
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets ovate-elliptic, 2–3 mm long, green, often tinged with purple, obtuse, acute or occasionally acuminate; lower glume ovate, 1/4–1/3 the length of the spikelet, 1(–3)-nerved, cuff-like, clasping, acute; upper lemma pallid, smooth and glossy.
[FSOM]

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]

Common Names

English
White buffalo grass

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • 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 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/