Poaceae
Panicum

Panicum kalaharense Mez

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 57: 187 (1921)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tropical & S. Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths pubescent. Culms robust; 100-200 cm long. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheath oral hairs woolly. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 20-50 cm long; 2-7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 19-27 cm long. 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; 3-4 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 3-4 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5-0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5-7 -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 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; dorsally compressed; 2.5-3.5 mm long; indurate; pallid, or dark brown; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate.
Distribution
Africa: southern tropical and south.
Reference
Paniceae. FZ.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Robust perennial of caespitose or shortly rhizomatous habit; culms 100–200 cm. tall, arising from a pubescent base.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf laminae 20–50 cm. long and 2–7 mm. wide, tough, linear, flat or involute, acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 19–27 cm. long, broadly ovate, moderately to much branched.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 3–4 mm. long ovate, pinched at the apex; inferior glume 1/2–2/3 the length of the spikelet, broadly ovate, 5-nerved, acute or acuminate; superior glume 5–7-nerved; inferior lemma 7-nerved, male, its palea well developed; superior lemma and palea pallid or dark, glossy.
[FZ]

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
Kalahari panicum

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

  • 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

  • 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/