Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Microchloa | > | kunthii |
Synonyms: |
Microchloa abyssinica Hochst. ex A. Rich. |
Common names: | |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Small and slender, mat-forming perennial grass; culms up to 60 cm tall but often much smaller; leaves mostly crowded at the base, filiform, up to 13 cm long; leaf sheaths splitting into a dense cushion of fibres; leaf laminas 1–8(13) cm long, filiform. Racemes slender, straight or falcate, up to 21 cm long, dark purple, hairless at the base. Spikelets 1-flowered, 2.3–3.2 mm long; lemma 1.9–2.8 mm long; anthers 0.6–0.7 mm long. Caryopsis c. 1.5 mm long. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | kunthii: after Karl Sigismund Kunth (1788-1850), German professor of botany at the University of Berlin and Vice President of the botanical garden. Also co-author of Nova Genera et Species Plantarum (1815-1825). |
Habitat: | On shallow soil over rock in montane grasslands and on rocky outcrops, on stony hillsides, in bare patches in miombo woodland and at margins of dambos. |
Altitude range: | 650 - 2300 m |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | Widespread in tropical Africa and South Africa, Arabia, China, India and tropical South America. |
Malawi distribution: | N,C,S |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Content last updated: | Wednesday 3 July 2019 |
Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 354. Chapano, C. (2002). A checklist of Zimbabwean grasses Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 16. Pretoria. Page 8. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 39. Cope, T.A. (1999). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(2) Page 230. 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 137. Fish, L., Mashau, A.C., Moeaha, M.J. & Nembudani, M.T. (2015). Identification Guide to Southern African Grasses Strelitzia 36 South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 447. Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 49. Klaassen Esmerialda, E.S. & Craven P. (2003). Checklist of grasses in Namibia SABONET Report No. 20 Page 58. 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. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 132. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 141. |
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