Chrysopogon plumulosus Hochst.

First published in Jahresh. Vereins Vaterl. Naturk. Württemberg 3: 62 (1847)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Niger to Sudan and Tanzania, Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial, culms 10–90 cm. high, erect or ascending, wiry.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades cauline or sometimes forming a compact cushion, 1–15 cm. long, 1–3 mm. wide, glaucous, glabrous or densely puberulous, with or without tubercle-based hairs, bluntly acute to finely acuminate; basal sheaths not laterally compressed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle ovate, 3–7 cm. long, with delicate capillary branches fulvously bearded at the tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Sessile spikelet narrowly oblong, with a shortly pungent callus 1.5–2 mm. long; lower glume 4–6 mm. long, laterally compressed to a rounded keel, sparsely pilose at the tip; upper glume glabrous or sparsely ciliate on the keel, bearing a plumose awn 7–15 mm. long; upper lemma emarginate or entire, with a puberulous awn 2–3 cm. long. Pedicelled spikelet 4–7 mm. long, pallid or purplish, the lower and often also the upper glume bearing a plumose awn up to 15 mm. long, this sometimes glabrous near the tip; pedicels fulvously or pallidly villous, 1/3–1/2 as long as the sessile spikelet.
Sessile
Sessile spikelet narrowly oblong, with a shortly pungent callus 1.5–2 mm. long; lower glume 4–6 mm. long, laterally compressed to a rounded keel, sparsely pilose at the tip; upper glume glabrous or sparsely ciliate on the keel, bearing a plumose awn 7–15 mm. long; upper lemma emarginate or entire, with a puberulous awn 2–3 cm. long.
Pedicelled
Pedicelled spikelet 4–7 mm. long, pallid or purplish, the lower and often also the upper glume bearing a plumose awn up to 15 mm. long, this sometimes glabrous near the tip; pedicels fulvously or pallidly villous, 1/3–1/2 as long as the sessile spikelet.
Figures
Fig. 171.
Habitat
Deciduous bushland (often with Commiphora) and sub-desert grassland on dry stony soils or black clays; 0–1800 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3
[FTEA]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10-90 cm long; wiry. Leaves cauline, or mostly basal (rarely). Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 1-15 cm long; 1-3 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute, or acute, or acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Panicle open; ovate; 3-7 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; villous (fulvously); hairy at tip. Racemes bearing a triad of spikelets; 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis obsolete. Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; 0.33-0.5 length of fertile spikelet; villous (fulvously); with white hairs, or dark brown hairs.
Sterile
Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 4-7 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; one glume awned, or both glumes awned; with 5-15 mm long awn; awn plumose. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes; muticous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5.5-8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1.5-2 mm long; bearded; base pungent. Spikelet callus hairs yellow, or dark brown. Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 4-7 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; one glume awned, or both glumes awned; with 5-15 mm long awn; awn plumose. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes; muticous.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5.5-8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1.5-2 mm long; bearded; base pungent. Spikelet callus hairs yellow, or dark brown.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 4-6 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels. Lower glume surface pilose; hairy at apex. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume primary vein eciliate, or ciliate. Upper glume awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 7-15 mm long; plumose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; emarginate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 20-30 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous. Palea absent or minute.
Distribution
Africa: north, west tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.
Reference
Andropogoneae. FTEA.
[GB]

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

Morphology Stem
Stems wiry, up to 90 cm high; leaves cauline or sometimes forming a compact cushion, glaucous, glabrous to densely puberulous, with or without tubercle-based hairs; basal sheaths laterally compressed or not
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle ovate, 3–7 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Pedicelled spikelet 4–7 mm long, the lower and often also the upper glume bearing a plumose awn up to 15 mm long, this sometimes glabrous near the tip; pedicels 1/3–1/2 the length of the sessile spikelet. Sessile spikelet narrowly oblong, 4–6 mm long; upper glume with a plumose awn 7–15 mm long; upper lemma with a puberulous awn 2–3 cm long
Distribution
N1–3; C1, 2; S2, 3
Ecology
Altitude range 50–1800 m.
Vernacular
Daremo (Somali).
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

    • '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