| Synonyms: |
Hyparrhenia diplandra (Hack.) Stapf var. mutica (Clayton) Cope Hyparrhenia mutica Clayton |
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| Description: |
Coarse, caespitose perennial; culms up to 300 cm high, erect. Leaf sheaths glabrous, or pilose towards the summit, rarely pilose throughout; leaf laminas 20–60 cm × 3–10 mm, glabrous or sometimes sparsely hirsute below, usually with long grey hairs at the base. False panicle 20–40 cm long, narrow, usually purplish; spatheoles 2–4.5 cm long, narrowly lanceolate, brownish-red, glabrous, barbate or not at the base; peduncles 0.3–1.5 cm long, glabrous or shortly hirsute above; racemes 1.5–2(2.5) cm long, (3)4–6(9)-awned per pair, deflexed; raceme-bases subequal, the superior 1–2 mm long, flattened, glabrous (except in the fork), truncate at the apex and lacking appendages. Homogamous spikelets 7–9 mm long, 2 pairs at the base of each raceme forming a kind of involucre, scabrid on the margins, muticous. Sessile spikelets 6–8 mm long; callus c. 1.5 mm long, sharply acute; superior lemma of sessile spikelet awned, inferior glume narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, glabrous to pubescent; awns 2–5.5 mm long, the column pubescent with white or fulvous hairs 0.2–0.4(0.5) mm long, rarely quite awnless. Pedicelled spikelets 5–7.5 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, muticous or with a terminal bristle up to 5 mm long; callus scarcely developed; pedicel-tooth obscure. |
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| Worldwide distribution: | Throughout tropical Africa but with a limited distribution west of the Cameroon Mountains; also Indo-China, Indonesia |
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| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 32. Cope, T.A. (2002). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(4) Pages 131 - 132. as var. diplandra and var. mutica Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 135. Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 43. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 105. as var. diplandra Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 199. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 131. as H. diplandra and H. mutica |