Poaceae
Tetrapogon

Tetrapogon tenellus (J.Koenig ex Roxb.) Chiov.

First published in Annuario Reale Ist. Bot. Roma 8: 352 (1908 publ. 1907)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Eritrea to S. Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Gramineae, T. Cope. Flora Zambesiaca 10:2. 1999

Morphology General Habit
Annual or short-lived perennial, the culms loosely caespitose, erect or ascending, up to 60 cm tall; leaf sheaths loosely flabellate at the base; leaf laminas 5–22 cm × 2–4 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes solitary or paired, 5–8 cm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 4–7-flowered, the lowermost 3–4 florets fertile and awned, the remainder sterile and awnless; glumes ovate-lanceolate, acute, acuminate or rarely awned, the inferior 2.8–4 mm long, the superior 3.2–4.2 mm long; lemmas obovate-triangular in profile, 5–5.8 mm long, shortly ciliate along the nerves or subglabrous, with an awn 5.4–10 mm long; anthers minute, c. 0.15 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis oblong, 1.8–3 mm long.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual or short lived perennial, loosely tufted, with erect or ascending 4–6-noded culms up to 80 cm. high, rarely more; nodes not prominent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades 10–24 cm. long, 2–4 mm. wide, tapering; sheaths loosely flabellate at the base of the culms.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spikes exserted, solitary or paired and divergent, 3–5(–8) cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets (4–)5–6(–7)-flowered, the lower (3–)4–5 florets fertile and awned; glumes ovate-lanceolate, acute, acuminate or rarely aristate, the lower 3–4.5(–6) mm. long, the upper 3.5–6(–9) mm. long; lowest lemma obovate, 4–6.5 mm. long, shortly ciliate along the nerves or subglabrous, with an awn 3–11 mm. long; upper (1–)2 florets sterile and reduced to minute awnless lemmas.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Grain of lowest floret oblong, 2–3 mm. long.
Habitat
Deciduous bushland or grassland with scattered trees, on various soils; 0–1300 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K6 K7 T2 T3 T6 T7 U2 Sudan, eastwards to India and southwards to Rhodesia and Angola
[FTEA]

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]

Morphology General Habit
Annual, or perennial; short-lived; caespitose. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 40-80 cm long; 4-6 -noded. Culm-nodes pallid. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 10-24 cm long; 2-4 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 1-2; single, or paired; ascending; unilateral; 3-5(-8) cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular; 2 -rowed. Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising (3-)4-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 4-6.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Floret callus pilose.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising (3-)4-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 4-6.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Floret callus pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 3-3.5(-6) mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate, or setaceously attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.5-6(-9) mm long; 0.8-0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate, or setaceously attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma obovate; 4-6.5 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein eciliate. Lemma margins eciliate, or ciliolate. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 3-11 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets (1-)2 in number; barren; in a clump; cuneate. Apical sterile lemmas muticous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; oblong; dorsally compressed; biconvex; 2-3 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Cynodonteae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Distribution
Tropical Africa, through Arabia to India.
Morphology General Habit
Annual up to 50 cm high; basal sheaths keeled but scarcely flabellate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes solitary, occasionally paired, exserted or partially enclosed in the slightly inflated uppermost sheath, 2.5–7 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes inconspicuous, 3–5.5(–6.5) mm long; lowest lemma 3.7–5.5 mm long, shortly ciliate on the nerves and keel or subglabrous; awn 4.5–10.5 mm long.
[FSOM]

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

  • 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

  • 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

    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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