Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Chloris Sw.

Chloris nutans (Stapf) P.M.Peterson

This species is accepted, and its native range is Ethiopia to S. Africa.

[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
Oct 1, 1936 Linton, A [193] Lintonia nutans K000365107 Unknown type material
Oct 1, 1936 Burtt, B. D. [2615] Lintonia nutans K000365108 Unknown type material
Wm. Burger [216], Ethiopia Lintonia nutans K000365106 Unknown type material

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.

  • 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

    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 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