✕
Info
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus etymology: Panicum = "belonging to bread" [Latin] refering to use by several species as cereal grains
Species etymology: konaense = from the Kona region of Hawai'i island
Photosynthetic type: C4 (warm season)
Nativity: endemic
Map
Inflorescence
Plant
image credit: Forest & Kim Starr
Habit
image credit: Forest & Kim StarrSpikelets
Collar
Holotype specimen
Description
Cespitose annuals 10-60 cm tall; culms unbranched, glabrous or papillose-pilose, the nodes pilose. Leaves cauline; sheaths papillose-pilose or rarely puberulent; ligule a ciliate membrane, 0.6-1.6 mm long, the membrane 0.1-0.3 mm long, the cilia 0.5- 1.3 mm long; blades 5-18 cm long, 0.2-0.5 cm wide, flat, ciliate, papillose-pilose, lower surface often sparsely so, rarely puberulent or glabrous. Panicles 4-16 cm long, axis scabrous and pilose, branches spreading, pilose and/or scabrous; spikelets 1.5- 3.9 mm long, acuminate, pilose; glumes as long as spikelet, acuminate, first glume about equalling or longer than second glume, pilose with hairs 1-3 mm long primarily in the upper 4 or evenly distributed, 3-5-nerved, second glume with just a few scattered hairs or glabrous, 5-nerved; first floret sterile, first lemma shorter than glumes, 5-7-nerved, glabrous, first palea 1/5-1/2 as long as first lemma; second floret blackish at maturity, 1.2-1.4 mm long, 0.5- 0.6 mm wide, elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, glossy, smooth; anthers 0.5-0.8 mm long.
(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 )