Oplismenus hirtellus (L.) P.Beauv. subsp. hirtellus

Map

Inflorescence

Plant

Habit

Spikelets

Landscape

Node

Collar

Description

Perennial with rambling culms 15–100 cm. long or more. Leaf-blades narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1–13 cm. long, 4–20 mm. wide. Inflorescence 3–15 cm. long, comprising 3–9 racemes each 0.5–3 cm. long with glabrous to sparsely pilose rhachis and ± contiguous spikelets, or the upper reduced to fascicles; sometimes all the racemes very short, but then the awns also short (less than 7 mm.). Spikelets lanceolate, 2–4 mm. long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent; glumes with smooth viscid awns, the longest in each pair of spikelets 3–14 mm. long.
(Description source: Clayton, W.D. & Renvoize, S.A. 1982. Flora of Tropical East Africa. Gramineae (Part 3). A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. 448 pp. )

Rambling perennial with lanceolate to narrowly ovate leaf laminae. Culms 15–100 cm. long or more. Racemes with a distinct rhachis up to 3 cm. long, the spikelet pairs contiguous; rarely the racemes all ± cuneate, but then awns also short. Spikelets 2–4 mm. long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent; awns smooth and sticky, the longest in each pair of spikelets 3–14 mm.
(Description source: Launert, E. & Pope, G.V. (eds.). 1989. Flora Zambesiaca. Volume 10. Part 3. Kew, London. 152 pp. )

Plants perennial. Culms to 90 cm, mostly decumbent and rooting at the nodes, distal 15-35 cm ascending when flowering; nodes usually pubescent; internodes usually pubescent along 1 side (sometimes glabrous). Sheaths conspicuously ciliate on the margins; ligules 0.4-1.6(2.3) mm, ciliate; blades (0.6)1.3-11.5 cm long, 2-20 mm wide, glabrous, scabrous, or pubescent, margin(s) usually undu-lating. Panicles (1.5)2.5-16.5 cm, with 2-10 primary branches; branches 0.1-2.5 cm. Spikelets 2.2-3.5(4.5) mm; calluses shortly pubescent at the base awns usually purplish. Lower glumes 1.5-3 mm, scabridulous and/or pubescent, 3-5-veined, awns (1.6)3.2-14.5 mm; upper glumes 1.5-2.5 mm, sparsely pubescent, 5-7-veined, awns 0.8-6(10) mm; lower florets usually sterile, occasionally staminate; lower lemmas 2.2-3.1 mm, sparsely pubescent above, (5)7-9-veined, awns 0.1-1.2 mm; lower paleas absent or to 2.3 mm, hyaline; upper lemmas (2.1)2.3-3 mm, glabrous, weakly cartilaginous, white to cream-colored; anthers 3, 1.3-1.7 mm. Caryopses 1.7-1.8 mm long, 0.5-0.9 mm wide, glabrous. 2n = 36, (54), 72, (90).
(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/Oplismenus_hirtellus )

Perennials; culms decumbent, but flowering culms ascending, 2-4 dm long, glabrous or scabrous to short-pilose, nodes usually densely short-pilose. Sheaths glabrous or appressed pubescent, villous on margins, the surface sometimes hirsute, collar villous; ligule membranous, 0.6-0.8 mm long, truncate, margins with setae, 1-2 mm long; blades thin, lanceolate, usually somewhat asymmetrical at base, 5-10 cm long, 8-17 mm wide, upper surface very sparsely hispid, lower surface hispid or glabrous, apex acuminate. Racemes ascending to appressed, 7-15 cm long, the lowest raceme 2-4 cm long, rachis scabrous or hispidulous in upper part, sometimes hispid on upper angles; adjacent spikelet pairs of lower racemes 0.5-4 mm apart; glumes ovate, 5-7-nerved, sparsely pilose, apex acute, first glume with an awn 5-10 mm long, second glume similar to first glume, but with an awn 1-2 mm long; first lemma similar to second glume, 3-4 mm long, short-awned; first palea, if present, hyaline, 3-3.5 mm long; second lemma white, ovate-lanceolate, coriaceous, 2.5-3 mm long, glabrous, glossy, margins enclosing palea, apex acute; second palea white, ovate, coriaceous, 2-2.5 mm long, glabrous, glossy, apex acute, margins inrolled. Caryopsis ca. 2.5 mm long. [2n = 54, 60, 72, 90.]
(Description source: O’Connor, P.J. 1990. Poaceae, pp. 1481–1604. In: Wagner W.L., Herbst D.R. & Sohmer S.H. (eds.)., Manual of the flowering plant of Hawaiʻi. Vol. 2. University of Hawaii Press & Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu )