Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Oplismenus P.Beauv.

Oplismenus undulatifolius (Ard.) P.Beauv.

This species is accepted, and its native range is S. Central & S. Europe to Iran, Cameroon, Ethiopia to S. Africa, W. Indian Ocean, Central & S. China to Japan and Tropical Asia, E. Australia.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms prostrate; 15-50 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes distally pilose. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or ovate; 1-7 cm long; 4-15 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface hispid; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate, or acute (bluntly).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 5-11; borne along a central axis; cuneate; unilateral; 0.5-1.5 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2-6 fertile spikelets on each (in a fascicle). Central inflorescence axis 2-14 cm long; pilose. Rhachis angular; glabrous on surface, or pilose on surface. Spikelet packing crowded. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal, or the lower smaller. Pedicels oblong.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 2.5-4 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 2.5-4 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar, or dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of upper glume; 0.5-0.75 length of spikelet; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 7-14 mm long; viscid. Upper glume ovate; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 5-7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex obtuse; muticous, or awned. Upper glume awn 0-4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; with palea, or without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 1-keeled; 7-11 -veined; glabrous, or pubescent; emarginate; mucronate. Fertile lemma oblong; dorsally compressed; 2-2.5 mm long; coriaceous; shiny; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute; laterally pinched. Palea involute; coriaceous; without keels.
Distribution
Europe: central, southwestern, and southeastern. Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Caucasus, western Asia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India and Malesia. Australasia: Australia. North America: south-central USA and southeast . South America: Caribbean.
Reference
Paniceae. SAR 2002.
Diagnostic
Spikelet pairs 0.5-2mm apart.

[FZ]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora Zambesiaca 10:3. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Trailing perennial with narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate leaf laminae.
Morphology Culms
Culms 15–50 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes reduced to cuneate fascicles without evident rhachis, or rarely the lowermost longer.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2.5–4 mm. long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent; awns smooth and sticky, the longest in each fascicle 7–14 mm.

[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial with trailing culms 15–50 cm. long.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1–7 cm. long, 4–15 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 2–8 cm. long, comprising 5–11 cuneate fascicles of 2–6 spikelets, or rarely the lowermost forming a short raceme.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets lanceolate, 2.5–4 mm. long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent; glumes with smooth viscid awns, the longest in each fascicle 7–14 mm. long.
Habitat
In forest shade; (0)–1400–2500 m.
Distribution
K3 K4 K7 T1 T3 T6 T7 warm temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, extending southward on the uplands of Africa, South Africa and India

Native to:

Assam, Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jawa, Kenya, Korea, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesser Sunda Is., Madagascar, Malawi, Maluku, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nepal, New Guinea, New South Wales, North Caucasus, Northern Provinces, Pakistan, Philippines, Queensland, Réunion, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Swaziland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Transcaucasus, Turkey, West Himalaya, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Maryland, Virginia

Oplismenus undulatifolius (Ard.) P.Beauv. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Holst, C. [2496], Tanzania K000257027 syntype Yes
Ayers, R. A. [1488], Swaziland K000257028 Unknown type material Yes
s.coll. [1653], India K000674318 isotype Yes

First published in Ess. Agrostogr.: 54, 168, 171 (1812)

Accepted by

  • Bor, N.L. (1970). Flora Iranica 70: 1-573. Naturhistorisches Museums Wien.
  • Bosser, J. & Renvoize, S.A. (2018). Flore des Mascareignes 203: 1-276. IRD Éditions, MSIRI, RBG-Kew, Paris.
  • Chang, C.S., Kim, H. & Chang, K.S. (2014). Provisional checklist of vascular plants for the Korea peninsula flora (KPF): 1-660. DESIGNPOST.
  • Clayton, W.D. & Renvoize, S.A. (1982). Gramineae Flora of Tropical East Africa 3: 451-898.
  • Clayton, W.D. (1989). Flora Zambesiaca 10(3): 1-231. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Cope, T.A. (1982). Flora of Pakistan 143: 1-678. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi.
  • Dassanayake (ed.) (1994). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon 8: 1-458. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. PVT. LTD., New Delhi, Calcutta.
  • Davis, P.H. (ed.) (1985). Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 9: 1-724. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
  • 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.
  • Kandwal, M.K. & Gupta, B.K. (2009). An update on grass flora of Uttarkhand Indian Journal of Forestry 32: 657-668.
  • Koyama, T. (1987). Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions: an identification manual: 1-570. Kodansha, Tokyo, Japan.
  • Lee, W.T. (1996). Lineamenta Florae Koreae: 1-1688. Soul T'ukpyolsi: Ak'ademi Sojok.
  • Noltie, H.J. (2000). Flora of Bhutan 3(2): 457-883. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
  • Onana, J.M. (2011). The vascular plants of Cameroon a taxonomic checklist with IUCN assessments: 1-195. National herbarium of Cameroon, Yaoundé.
  • Press, J.R. et al. (2000). Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal: i-x, 1-430. Natural History Museum, London.
  • Takhtajan, A.L. (ed.) (2006). Konspekt Flora Kavkaza 2: 1-466. Editio Universitatis Petropolitanae.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.
  • Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2006). Poaceae Flora of China 22: 1-733. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Bosser, J. & Renvoize, S.A. (2018). Flore des Mascareignes 203: 1-276. IRD Éditions, MSIRI, RBG-Kew, Paris.
  • Clayton, W.D. & Renvoize, S.A. (1982). Gramineae Flora of Tropical East Africa 3: 451-898.
  • Clayton, W.D. (1989). Flora Zambesiaca 10(3): 1-231. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Dassanayake (ed.) (1994). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon 8: 1-458. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. PVT. LTD., New Delhi, Calcutta.
  • Davis, P.H. (ed.) (1985). Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 9: 1-724. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 25: 1-781. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • 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.
  • Kandwal, M.K. & Gupta, B.K. (2009). An update on grass flora of Uttarkhand Indian Journal of Forestry 32: 657-668.
  • Karthikeyan, S., Jain, S.K., Nayar, M.P. & Sanjappa, M. (1989). Florae Indicae Enumeratio: Monocotyledonae: 1-435. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.
  • Koyama, T. (1987). Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions: an identification manual: 1-570. Kodansha, Tokyo, Japan.
  • Lee, W.T. (1996). Lineamenta Florae Koreae: 1-1688. Soul T'ukpyolsi: Ak'ademi Sojok.
  • Noltie, H.J. (2000). Flora of Bhutan 3(2): 457-883. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
  • Onana, J.M. (2011). The vascular plants of Cameroon a taxonomic checklist with IUCN assessments: 1-195. National herbarium of Cameroon, Yaoundé.
  • Press, J.R. et al. (2000). Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal: i-x, 1-430. Natural History Museum, London.
  • Takhtajan, A.L. (ed.) (2006). Konspekt Flora Kavkaza 2: 1-466. Editio Universitatis Petropolitanae.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.
  • Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2006). Poaceae Flora of China 22: 1-733. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Roem. & Schult., Syst. Veg., ed. 15, 2: 482 (1817), non P. Beauv. (1812), nom. nud.

  • 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

    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