Bothriochloa insculpta (A. Rich.) A. Camus

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Alexandra Park, Harare

Photo: Mark Hyde
Lodge 147, Mazvikadei

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Synonyms:	Amphilophis insculpta (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Stapf Andropogon insculptus Hochst. ex A. Rich. Andropogon pertusus var. capensis Hack. Andropogon pertusus var. insculptus (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Hack. A. & C. Andropogon pertusus (L.) Willd. Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus Dichanthium insculptum (A. Rich.) Clayton
Common names:	Pinhole grass (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Caespitose perennial; culms up to 200 cm high, either decumbent and rambling or developing into stout woody stolons, branching and rooting at the nodes; nodes barbate with white hairs; internodes channelled on one side; leaf sheaths glabrous, tightly clasping the internodes, barbate at the mouth; ligule membranous; leaf laminas 4–30 cm × 2–8 mm, glabrous on both sides, occasionally with tubercle-based hairs below, rough on the margins. Inflorescence of 3–20 subdigitate peduncled racemes; main axis up to 3 cm long, shorter than the lowermost racemes; raceme peduncles glabrous; racemes up to 10 cm long, but variable; rhachis internodes and pedicels pilose on the margins, the hairs increasing in length upwards to c. 3 mm. Sessile spikelet c. 4.5 mm long, narrowly elliptic; callus c. 0.5 mm long, barbate, obtuse; inferior glume with a single deep pit on the back just above the middle, glabrous or pubescent to shortly pilose below, shortly ciliate on the keels towards the apex; superior glume narrowly lanceolate, sharply carinate, glabrous, minutely ciliate on the keel towards the apex; inferior floret empty, its lemma c. 3.5 mm long, broadly ovate; superior floret epaleate, the lemma c. 2 mm long, stipitiform, awned from the apex; awn c. 25 mm long, glabrous; anthers c. 1.8 mm long. Pedicelled spikelet c. 5 mm long, neuter, glabrous; inferior glume oblong, with 0–4 shallow slit-like pits, irregularly toothed at the apex, ciliate along the keels; superior glume lanceolate, delicate, ciliate on the margins; inferior lemma c. 3 mm long, oblong, truncate at the apex.
Notes:	Perennial tufted grass, often with stolons. It is strongly aromatic when crushed. The culms have a conspicuous ring of white hairs at the nodes. The inflorescence is subdigitate, purple.
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat:	In overgrazed and disturbed places.
Altitude range:	700 - 1300 m
Flowering time:	Oct - Jun
Worldwide distribution:	Widespread in tropical Africa, Arabia and India; introduced in Australia.
Mozambique distribution:	T,GI,M
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. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 10. Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 6. Cope, T.A. (2002). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(4) Pages 47 - 48. Isaiah, A.M. & Komi, T. (2015). Grasses in the Botswana National Botanic Garden South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 5. (Includes a picture). Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 31. Also as Bothriochloa pertusa Klaassen Esmerialda, E.S. & Craven P. (2003). Checklist of grasses in Namibia SABONET Report No. 20 Page 15. 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 100. Roodt, V. (2015). Grasses & Grazers of Botswana and the surrounding savanna Struik Nature, South Africa Pages 52 - 53. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2000). Notes on the grass subtribe Sorghinae (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) in the Flora Zambesiaca area Kirkia 17(2) Page 145. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 132. Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 27. 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 187.

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Flora of Botswana: Bothriochloa insculpta
Flora of Burundi: Bothriochloa insculpta
Flora of Caprivi: Bothriochloa insculpta
Flora of Malawi: Bothriochloa insculpta
Flora of Zambia: Bothriochloa insculpta
Flora of Zimbabwe: Bothriochloa insculpta

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Bothriochloa insculpta
African Plant Database: Bothriochloa insculpta
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Bothriochloa insculpta
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Bothriochloa insculpta
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Bothriochloa insculpta
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iNaturalist: Bothriochloa insculpta
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Bothriochloa insculpta
JSTOR Plant Science: Bothriochloa insculpta
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Bothriochloa insculpta
Plants of the World Online: Bothriochloa insculpta
Tropicos: Bothriochloa insculpta
Wikipedia: Bothriochloa insculpta