Poaceae
Trichoneura

Trichoneura grandiglumis (Nees) Ekman

First published in Ark. Bot. 11(9): 15 (1912)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia to S. Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 20-85 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5-2.5 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 3-11 cm long; 3-5.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or pilose. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes; deciduous as a whole. Peduncle fracturing. Racemes 8-30; borne along a central axis; spreading; unilateral; 3-19 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 7-32 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; distant. Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 4-9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 5.3-14 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes pilose; hairy at tip. Floret callus pubescent.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 4-9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 5.3-14 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes pilose; hairy at tip. Floret callus pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets, or reaching apex of florets; gaping. Lower glume linear, or lanceolate; 5.3-13.5 mm long; 1-1.2 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous. Lower glume apex attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 1-2 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 5-11 mm long; 1.7-2.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1-2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 3-5 mm long; membranous; purple; without keel, or keeled; lightly keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface pilose. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 0.5-1.25 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on back; with turgid hairs. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.5-0.7 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid, or oblong; dorsally compressed; plano-convex, or concavo-convex; 1.8-2 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.
Reference
Eragrostideae. FTEA.
Diagnostic
Inflorescence ovate to pyramidal.
[GB]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial; culms 20–85 cm. high, moderately slender, erect or ascending.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades 3–20 cm. long, 2.5–5.5 mm. wide, flat, scabrid, usually with long scattered hairs from both surfaces, sometimes almost glabrous, the tips pointed; ligule 1.5–2.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 7–32 cm. long, ovate to broadly pyramidal, large and open; racemes 8–30, 3–19 cm. long, stiff and straight, divaricately and often horizontally spreading from the main axis, the spikelets distant.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 4–9-flowered, 5.3–14 mm. long, often purplish; glumes scabrid, lightly keeled, the tips caudate or subulate and tapering into an awn up to 2 mm. long, exceeding the florets or rarely fractionally shorter, the lower linear-lanceolate, 5.3–13.5 mm. long, the upper linear-oblong, 5–11 mm. long; lemmas narrowly elliptic-oblong, 3–5 mm. long, membranous, appressed pilose on the back around the central nerve, white ciliate along the lateral nerves except towards the tip; awn 0.5–1.25 mm. long; palea capitate-pilose; anthers 0.5–0.7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis narrowly elliptic-oblong, 1.8–2 mm. long.
Distribution
Africa south of the Congo basin
[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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Caespitose perennial; culms up to 60(85) cm tall, erect or ascending; leaf laminas (3)5–12(17) cm × (1)2–6 mm, linear, flat or convolute, acute at the apex and sometimes pungent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 8.5–40 cm long, ovate to broadly pyramidal, open; racemes 8–30, 4–20 cm long, stiff and straight, divaricate and often horizontally spreading from the axis, the spikelets distant by ± their own length.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 4.5–8.5 mm long, 3–7-flowered, often purplish; glumes caudate or subulate and tapering into an awn up to 2 mm long, exceeding the florets or rarely fractionally shorter, the inferior linear-lanceolate, the superior linear-oblong; lemmas 3.5–4.5 mm long, narrowly elliptic-oblong, appressed-pilose on the back; palea capitate-pilose.
[FZ]

Common Names

English
Rolling grass, Tumbleweed

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 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

    • '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 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

  • 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/