Poaceae
Panicum

Panicum turgidum Forssk.

First published in Fl. Aegypt.-Arab.: 18 (1775)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. & W. Tropical Africa to India. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Cataphylls evident. Culms 40-100(-200) cm long; 1-6 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes solid; glaucous. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; (0.5-)2-15 cm long; 1-6 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade apex pungent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; pyramidal; 2.5-15(-30) cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches spreading; distant; bearing spikelets almost to the base. 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; compressed slightly; acute, or acuminate; (3.1-)3.4-4.5(-5) mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; acute, or acuminate; (3.1-)3.4-4.5(-5) mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume ovate; 0.75-1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5-9 -veined. 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; 9-11 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; dorsally compressed; 3 mm long; indurate; pallid, or yellow; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 2 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: north, west tropical, and northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: western Asia and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Paniceae. FTA.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial up to 1·2 m. high, with stout roots, and sturdy stems branching untidily in all directions
Ecology
Dry sandy soils.
[FWTA]

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Glaucous perennial forming rounded bushes up to 100(–200) cm high and often as much across
Morphology Stem
Stems erect or ascending, woody, branched at the nodes, sometimes forming fastigiate tufts
Morphology Leaves
Leaves linear-lanceolate, (0.5–)2–15 cm x 1–6 mm, flat, folded or inrolled, glabrous and glaucous, stiff and pungent, often much shorter than the sheath, rarely filiform and up to 30 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle subpyramidal, 2.5–15(–30) cm long, lax, the branches distant and eventually spreading
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets ovoid, 3.5–4.5(–5) mm long, glabrous, acute or acuminate, turgid and often gaping at anthesis; lower glume broadly ovate, 3/4 as long to almost as long as the spikelet, 5- to 9-nerved; upper lemma pallid, smooth and glossy.
Distribution
N1–3 northern and north-eastern Africa eastwards to Pakistan.
Ecology
Altitude range 0–1370 m.
Vernacular
Dallan, darif, dungara (Somali).
[FSOM]

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 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