- Family:
- Poaceae Barnhart
- Genus:
- Chloris Sw.
Chloris nutans (Stapf) P.M.Peterson

[FSOM]
M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS
- Morphology General Habit
- Tufted perennial with short rhizomes, up to 75 cm high
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Racemes (1–)2–4(–6), 4–11.5 cm long
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
- Spikelets 4- to 10-flowered, 5.3–11 mm long; glumes 1-nerved, unequal, the lower narrowly lanceolate, 1.9–4.5 mm long, acuminate, the upper oblong, 3.3–5.8 mm long, obtuse; lemmas broadly elliptic to obovate, 4.4–6.7(–9.2) mm long, tough, 7- to 11-nerved, appressed villous between the nerves below, strigillose above; awn 0.75–10.5 mm long
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Grain elliptic, 2–2.2 mm long.
- Distribution
- S1, 2 eastern and south-eastern Africa.
[GB]
- Morphology General Habit
- Perennial; caespitose. Stolons present. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect, or decumbent; 23-75 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; truncate. Leaf-blades 5-22 cm long; 2.5-5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes (1-)2-4(-6); digitate; unilateral; 4-11.5 cm long. Rhachis subterete. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular; 2 -rowed. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
- Spikelets comprising 4-10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 5.3-11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes definite. Floret callus truncate.
- Fertile
- Spikelets comprising 4-10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 5.3-11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes definite. Floret callus truncate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
- Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.9-4.5 mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume oblong; 3.3-5.8 mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
- Fertile florets free at tip. Fertile lemma elliptic, or obovate; 4.4-6.7(-9.2) mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7-11 -veined. Lemma lateral veins distinct; branched. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy below; hairy between veins; with simple hairs. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; flexuous; 0.75-10.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliate. Palea surface pubescent. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; flattened; biconvex; 2-2.2 mm long; dark brown; smooth.
- Distribution
- Africa: northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.
- Reference
- Cynodonteae. FTEA.
[FTEA]
Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974
- Morphology General Habit
- Shortly stoloniferous perennial tussock grass; culms 23–75 cm. high, slender, erect or geniculately ascending.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaf-blades up to 22 cm. long and 2.5–5 mm. wide, glabrous or rarely softly pilose.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescence digitate or subdigitate, composed of (1–)2–4(–6) slender curving subsecund spike-like racemes 4–11.5 cm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
- Spikelets 4–10-flowered, wedge-shaped, 5.3–11 mm. long, subsessile, biseriate, overlapping on the rhachis by up to half their length, straw-coloured often tinged with purple; glumes 1-nerved, lightly keeled, the lower narrowly lanceolate, 1.9–4.5 mm. long, acuminate, the upper oblong, 3.3–5.8 mm. long, obtuse; lemmas broadly elliptic to obovate, 4.4–6.7(–9.2) mm. long, tough and chartaceous, 7–11-nerved, the nerves thick and prominent and the outer ones confluent towards the base, appressed villous, the hairs with thickened sharp-pointed tips and mainly confined to 6 intercostal rows extending 1/3–3/4 the length of the lemma, occasionally the hairs more diffuse and ± obscuring the nerves, remainder of the lemma strigillose; awn 0.75–10.5 mm. long, shorter in the upper florets, densely scabrid, outwardly curved or flexuous from a stout base; palea ciliate on the keels, puberulous on the back.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Grain elliptic, 2–2.2 mm. long.
- Figures
- Fig. 84.
- Habitat
- Open grassland and Acacia bushland, usually on heavy soils, especially black cotton soil; 670–1900 m.
- Distribution
- K1 K2 K3 K4 K6 K7 T2 T3 U1 eastern and south-eastern Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa (Transvaal, Natal)
[FZ]
Gramineae, T. Cope. Flora Zambesiaca 10:2. 1999
- Morphology General Habit
- Shortly stoloniferous perennial tussock grass up to 100 cm tall, erect or geniculately ascending; lower leaf sheaths compressed and keeled; leaf laminas (4)7–20(30) cm × 2–6 mm.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Racemes (1)2–4, digitate or subdigitate, 3–10 cm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
- Spikelets 4–10-flowered, 5–10 mm long, cuneate, pale green or straw-coloured, usually tinged with purple; glumes 1-nerved, lightly keeled, the inferior 2.9–3.3 mm long, narrowly lanceolate and acuminate, the superior 3.5–3.8 mm long, oblong and obtuse; lemmas 4.3–7 mm long (excluding the awn), broadly elliptic to obovate; awn 2.5–8(11) mm long, straight or outwardly curved or flexuous from a stout base; palea ciliate on the keels, puberulous on the back; anthers 1–2.5 mm long.
Native to:
Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique, Northern Provinces, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Chloris nutans (Stapf) P.M.Peterson appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oct 1, 1936 | Linton, A [193] | Lintonia nutans | K000365107 | Unknown type material | Yes |
Oct 1, 1936 | Burtt, B. D. [2615] | Lintonia nutans | K000365108 | Unknown type material | Yes |
Wm. Burger [216], Ethiopia | Lintonia nutans | K000365106 | Unknown type material | Yes |
First published in Taxon 64: 458 (2015)
Accepted by
- Govaerts, R., Nic Lughadha, E., Black, N., Turner, R. & Paton, A. (2021). The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00997-6 Scientific Data 8: 215.
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Clayton, W.D., Phillips, S.M., Renvoize, S.A. (1974). Gramineae Flora of Tropical East Africa 2: 177-449.
- Cope, T. (1999). Flora Zambesiaca 10(2): 1-261. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- Hedberg, I. & Edwards, S. (eds.) (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 7: 1-430. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
- Thulin, M. (ed.) (1995). Flora of Somalia 4: i-ii, 1-298. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
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Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Flora of Somalia
Flora of Somalia
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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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
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/
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0