Poaceae
Hyparrhenia

Hyparrhenia neglecta S.M.Phillips

First published in Kew Bull. 49: 537 (1994)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms 45-55 cm long. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; white; truncate. Leaf-blades 3 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 5-6 cm long; scarious; glabrous. Peduncle 1.7-2 cm long; hirsute above. Racemes 2; paired; deflexed; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip oblique; flat. Raceme-bases flattened; subequal; 1.5 mm long; stiffly setose; with 5 mm long hairs; shortly lobed; with 1-1.5 mm long appendage. Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; ciliate; tip oblique.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; on lower raceme 2 in number; 0 in upper raceme; elliptic; 9-11 mm long; larger than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes glabrous; scabrous on margins; lower glume muticous. Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 7 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; scabrous on margins; eciliate on margins; acuminate; awned; one glume awned; with 4-5 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes. Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 2 mm long; pilose; base pungent; attached obliquely.
Sterile
Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; on lower raceme 2 in number; 0 in upper raceme; elliptic; 9-11 mm long; larger than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes glabrous; scabrous on margins; lower glume muticous. Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 7 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; scabrous on margins; eciliate on margins; acuminate; awned; one glume awned; with 4-5 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 2 mm long; pilose; base pungent; attached obliquely.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels; keel-less except near apex. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume surface glabrous. Upper glume linear; coriaceous; without keels. Upper glume mucronate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of fertile lemma; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; membranous; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 50 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn hirtellous; with 0.8 mm long hairs. Palea absent or minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical.
Reference
Andropogoneae. Phillips 1994.
Diagnostic
Peduncle hairs yellow.
[GB]

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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