Poaceae
Oplismenus

Oplismenus undulatifolius (Ard.) P.Beauv.

First published in Ess. Agrostogr.: 54, 168, 171 (1812)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species 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. It is a perennial or annual.

Descriptions

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.
[GB]

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.
[FZ]

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
[FTEA]

Sources

  • 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 Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 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 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0