Poaceae
Stenotaphrum

Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze

First published in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 794 (1891)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. U.S.A. to E. & S. South America, W. Tropical Africa to Chad. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine, has environmental uses and for food.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/192156108/192156110

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
hedionda, yerba de San Agustín
[UNAL]

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]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit
Plants extensively creeping, the flat stolons with long internodes and short erect leafy branches
Morphology Culms
Flowering culms 10–30 cm tall; leaf-blades mostly 10–15 cm long, up to 8 mm wide, glabrous except for a few short hairs on the margins just above junction with the sheath; ligule represented by a line of hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 5–10 cm long; spikelets remote, 4–6 mm long.
Distribution
Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac. Southern United States south to Argentina.
Ecology
Common at low to medium elevations. An excellent pasture grass; sometimes used for lawns, especially in poor sandy soils.
[Cayman]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 3000 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Pacífico.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
[CPLC]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; mat forming. Stolons present. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms prostrate; 10-30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 2-15 cm long; 4-9 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes; deciduous as a whole. Racemes borne along a central axis; in a unilateral false spike; sunken; unilateral; 0.5-1 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1-3 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 2-10 cm long; corky; tough; tip subulate. Rhachis flattened; terminating in a barren extension; extension subulate. Spikelet packing abaxial. Spikelets sunken (in axis); solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.1-0.3 length of upper glume; 0.1-0.3 length of spikelet; membranous; pallid; without keels. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 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 ovate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 7-9 -veined; without grooves; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea chartaceous.
Distribution
Europe: southwestern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, southern tropical, south, and middle Atlantic ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia and China. Asia-tropical: Malesia and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
Reference
Paniceae. FTA.
Diagnostic
Back of inflorescence axis entire.
[GB]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Caribbean, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–3000 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Caldas, Caquetá, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Nariño, Norte de Santander, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • 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/

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0