Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) S.T.Blake

synonyms: Bothriochloa intermedia, Andropogon intermedius


intermediate blustem, Australian bluestem


Info

Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus etymology: Bothriochloa = "pitted grass" [Greek] refering to the pits on the lower glume in most species
Species etymology: bladhii = honorific for Peter Johan Bladh 1746-1866
Photosynthetic type: C4 (warm season)
Nativity: naturalized - accidental
First recorded in Hawaiʻi: 1916

Map

 Distribution of Bothriochloa bladhii in Hawaiʻi.
 Distribution of Bothriochloa bladhii in Hawaiʻi.

Inflorescence

Bothriochloa bladhii Inflorescence
Bothriochloa bladhii Inflorescence
Bothriochloa bladhii Inflorescence
Bothriochloa bladhii Inflorescence

Habit

Bothriochloa bladhii Habit
Bothriochloa bladhii Habit

Spikelets

Bothriochloa bladhii Spikelets
Bothriochloa bladhii Spikelets
Bothriochloa bladhii Spikelets
Bothriochloa bladhii Spikelets
Bothriochloa bladhii Spikelets
Bothriochloa bladhii Spikelets
Bothriochloa bladhii Spikelets
Bothriochloa bladhii Spikelets
Bothriochloa bladhii Spikelets

Node

Bothriochloa bladhii Node

Collar

Bothriochloa bladhii Collar

Description

Tufted perennial; culms 50–150 cm. high, erect from a shortly rhizomatous base, often robust. Leaf-blades 10–55 cm. long, 2–12 mm. wide. Inflorescence with a central axis 4–20 cm. long, the racemes numerous and borne loosely or densely in irregular whorls upon simple or branched peduncles; racemes 2–5 cm. long (the lowest shorter than the central axis), pubescent. Sessile spikelet narrowly elliptic, 3–4 mm. long; lower glume chartaceous, ± hairy below the middle, usually not glossy, with or without a pit; awn 10–25 mm. long. Pedicelled spikelet glabrous, with 0–3 pits.
(Description source: Clayton, W.D. & Renvoize, S.A. 1982. Flora of Tropical East Africa. Gramineae (Part 3). A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. 448 pp. )

Caespitose perennial of variable habit; culms up to 100 cm high, rather straggling, the nodes glabrous, the internodes terete or channelled on one side; leaf sheaths barbate at the base; ligule membranous; leaf laminas up to 30 cm × 10 mm, almost glabrous, tapering gradually to a slender apex. Inflorescence paniculate, with numerous slender branches 2–5 cm long on a common axis 3–10 cm long; lowermost branches sometimes themselves branched; spikelets usually dark purple or flushed with purple; rhachis internodes and pedicels pilose with hairs up to 2.5 mm long. Sessile spikelet 3–4 mm long, barbate at the base; inferior glume pilose below the middle on the back, rarely glabrous, rigidly ciliate on the margins above, depressed along the middle, with a deep or shallow pit in the upper part, the pit sometimes absent in some spikelets, rarely absent altogether; superior glume lanceolate, the margins sparsely ciliate above or glabrous, depressed along both sides of the keel, the keel scabrid above; inferior floret empty, the lemma oblong, obtuse, glabrous; superior floret epaleate, with stipitiform lemma; awn 10–18 mm long, geniculate, glabrous; anthers c. 1.5 mm long. Pedicelled spikelet usually smaller than the sessile spikelet and reduced to 1 or 2 glumes, rarely well developed and with the inferior glume pitted.
(Description source: Cope, T.A. (ed.). 2002. Flora Zambesiaca. Volume 10. Part 4. Kew, London. 190 pp. )

Culms 40-90(150) cm, usually erect; nodes glabrous or short hispid, with mostly appressed, less than 2 mm hairs. Leaves cauline; ligules 0.5-1.5 mm; blades (10)20-35(40) cm long, 1-4.5(5.5) mm wide, mostly glabrous. Panicles 5-15(24) cm, elliptic to lanceolate, reddish at maturity; rachises 6-12(20) cm, with numerous branches; branches 3-7 cm, shorter than the rachises, erect to spreading during anthesis, with axillary pulvini, lower branches with multiple rames; rame internodes with darkened grooves, with sparse, about 1 mm marginal hairs. Sessile spikelets 3.5-4 mm, oblong-ovate; lower glumes glabrous or scabrous, with or without a dorsal pit; awns 10-17 mm, twisted, geniculate; anthers 1-2 mm. Pedicellate spikelets about the same size and shape as the sessile spikelets, or about 1/2 their size, staminate or sterile. 2n = 40, 60, 80.
(Description source: Barkworth, M.E., Capels, K.M., Long, S. & Piep, M.B. (eds.) 2003. Flora of North America, north of Mexico. Volume 25. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, Part 2. Oxford University Press, New York. 783 pp http://floranorthamerica.org/Bothriochloa_bladhii )