Compilation
Panicum hochstetteranum

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Name

Identification
Isotype of Panicum hochstetteranum A.Rich. [family POACEAE ] Urochloa panicoides P.Beauv. [family POACEAE ] (stored under name);
Related name
  • Panicum hochstetteranum
  • Urochloa panicoides

Flora

Entry for UROCHLOA panicoides P. Beauv. [family POACEAE]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 451, (1982) Author: W. D. CLAYTON and S.A. RENVOIZE
Names
UROCHLOA panicoides P. Beauv. [family POACEAE], Ess. Agrost.: 53, fig. 11/1 (1812); Ann. list grasses Ug.: 48 (1947); F.P.S. 3: 555 (1956); R.K.G.: 43 (1958); Ann. list Nyasaland grasses: 65 (1958); I.G.U.: 60 (1960); G.T.: 70 (1965). Type: Mauritius, de Jussieu (whereabouts uncertain, not G)
Panicum helopus Trin. [family POACEAE], in Spreng., Neue Entd. 2: 84 (1821). Type: India, Jacquin (whereabouts uncertain)
Panicum hochstetteranum A. Rich. [family POACEAE], Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 369 (1851). Type: Ethiopia, Adua [Adoua], Schimper 61 (K, iso.!)
Panicum controversum Steud. [family POACEAE], Syn. Pl. Glum. 1: 60 (1854), nom. superfl. Based on P. hochstetteranum
Panicum helopus K. Schum. forma glabrescens [family POACEAE], in P.O.A. C: 101 (1895). Type: Tanzania (whereabouts uncertain, not B)
Panicum helopus (K. Schum.) Stapf var. glabrescens [family POACEAE], in Fl. Cap. 7: 392 (1899)
Panicum borzianum Mattei [family POACEAE], in Boll. Ort. Bot. Palermo 7: 167 (1908). Type: Somalia, Merca, Maculoso 10 (PAL, holo.)
Panicum trichopus Chiov. subsp. breviglume [family POACEAE], in Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital., n.s. 19: 419 (1912). Types: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghinda, Fiori 1259 & 1260 (both FI, syn.!)
Panicum trichopus Chiov. var. glaberrimum [family POACEAE], in Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital., n.s., 19: 419 (1912). Type: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghinda, Fiori 1260 (FI, holo.!)
Panicum trichopus Chiov. var. trichophorum [family POACEAE], in Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital., n.s., 19: 419 (1912). Type: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghinda, Fiori 1259 (FI, holo.!)
Panicum panicoides (P. Beauv.) Hitchc. [family POACEAE], in Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 9: 551 (1919)
Urochloa helopus (Trin.) Stapf [family POACEAE], in F.T.A. 9: 595 (1920)
Panicum setarioides Peter [family POACEAE], in Abh. K. Ges. Wiss. Gött., Math.-Phys. Kl., n.f., 13(2): 110 (1928), nom. nud., non Steud. (1854), and in E.J. 68: 140 (1937), in syn.
Panicum oxycephalum Peter [family POACEAE], F.D.O.-A. 1, Anh.: 34, fig. 19/5 (1930). Type: Tanzania, Lushoto District, Mombo to Makuyuni, Peter 40687 (B, holo.†)
Urochloa helopus (A. Rich.) Chiov. var. hochstetterana [family POACEAE], Fl. Somala 2: 444 (1932)
Urochloa ruschii Pilg. [family POACEAE], in N.B.G.B. 15: 449 (1941). Types: Namibia, Windhoek, Rusch (B, syn.!) & Walter 465 (B, syn.)
Information
Tufted annual; culms 10–100 cm. high, often ascending from a prostrate rooting base. Leaf-blades linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–25 cm. long, 5–18 mm. wide, subamplexicaul, coarse, glabrous or pubescent, the margins tuberculate-ciliate at least near the base. Inflorescence of 2–7(–10 or rarely more) racemes on a common axis 1–9 cm. long, racemes 1–7 cm. long, bearing single or sometimes paired spikelets on a narrowly winged rhachis, the pedicels (sometimes also the rhachis) with white hairs. Spikelets elliptic, (2.5–)3.5–4.5(–5.5) mm. long, acute; lower glume ovate, 1/4 to almost 1/2 as long as the spikelet (very rarely more), 3–5-nerved, obtuse to subacute; upper glume often with cross-veins, glabrous or pubescent; lower lemma sometimes with a setose fringe; upper lemma rugulose with a mucro 0.3–1 mm. long.
Range
DISTR. U1–3; K1–7; T1–4, 6 Sudan to Yemen and southwards to South Africa; India; introduced to Australia
Altitude range
0–1800 m.
Distribution
KENYA Northern Frontier Province Merille R., 20 May 1970, Magogo 1395!KENYA Nairobi, 30 Apr. 1959, McCallum Webster K.32!KENYA S. Nyeri District Gathigiriri, 9 Jan. 1968, Kabuye 136!TANZANIA Masai District 11 Apr. 1966, Vesey-FitzGerald 4954! & 10 km. from Engaruka-Mtowa Mbu, 25 Feb. 1966, Leippert 6375 ! & Shambarai, 12 Mar. 1964, Welch 541!TANZANIA Zanzibar I., Jindani Beach, R.M. Davies 27!UGANDA Karamoja District Lodoketemit, 16 July 1959, Kerfoot 1175!UGANDA Mbale District Bunyole, 23 June 1927, Snowden 1130! & Tororo, 19 Sept. 1929, Hitchcock 24986!
Notes
In common with several other species of the genus, U. panicoides has forms with glabrous, pubescent or setosely fringed spikelets; they appear to be of no taxonomic significance. A form with particularly small spikelets (less than 3 mm. long) occurs on the Kenya coast. Exceptional specimens with the lower glume 2/3 as long as the spikelet have been separated as U. ruschii. U. panicoides is not always easy to distinguish from Brachiaria ramosa (L.) Stapf which is widely distributed in the Old World tropics, and the two species are obviously closely related. The latter has smaller (2.5–3.5 mm.) plump spikelets in pairs, with the mucro of the upper lemma almost suppressed (at most 0.2 mm. long). These characters lead to the exclusion of B. ramosa from Urochloa, but it has to be admitted that the separation between the two genera is very narrow at this point.

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