| Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Melinis | > | longiseta |
| Synonyms: |
Melinis chaetophora Mez Melinis secunda Mez Rhynchelytrum bellespicatum (Rendle) Stapf & C.E. Hubb. Tricholaena bellespicata Rendle |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Tufted to loosely caespitose perennial. Culms 20–100 cm. high, geniculately ascending or erect. Leaf laminae (3)6–20 cm. long, 1.5–5(6) mm. wide, flat. Panicle 4–17 cm. long, narrowly oblong to linear. Pedicels with a few long hairs. Spikelets (3.5)4–8.5 mm. long, usually linear. Inferior glume 0.6–1.4 mm. long, inconspicuously 1-nerved, ovate, separated from the superior by an internode 0.3–0.5 mm. long; superior glume 5-nerved, subcoriaceous to coriaceous, emarginate to bilobed, awned, densely hairy on the keel, glabrous on the sides. Inferior floret male, its lemma 5-nerved, similar to the superior glume but glabrous on the keel and hairy on the sides, the palea scabrous on its keels. |
| Notes: | Easily recognized by its 5-nerved superior glume and the scabrous palea keels of the inferior floret. The pattern of hairiness of superior glume and inferior lemma is also very characteristic. Leaf laminae (3)6–20 cm. long, 1.5–5(6) mm. wide. Spikelets (3.5)4–8.5 mm. long, usually linear. |
| Derivation of specific name: | |
| Habitat: | Stony ground in open, sunny locations in Mopane woodland, often in crevices |
| Altitude range: | 300 - 2100 m |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Mozambique distribution: | T |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 25. Clayton, W.D. (1989). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(3) Pages 119 - 121. 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 106. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 140. Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 190. |
| Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Melinis | > | longiseta |