Compilation
Trichopteryx incompta
1 Images see all
Name
Identification
Isotype of Trichopteryx incompta Franch. [family POACEAE ] Loudetia simplex (Nees) C.E.Hubbard [family POACEAE ] (stored under name); Verified by Hubbard,C.E.,
Related name
- Trichopteryx incompta
- Loudetia simplex
Flora
Entry for LOUDETIA simplex C. E. Hubbard [family ]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical Africa, Vol 10, page 1, (1937) Author: (By C. E. HUBBARD.)
Names
LOUDETIA simplex C. E. Hubbard [family ], in Kew Bulletin, 1934, 431. —Hutch. & Dalz. Fl. W. Trop. Afr. ii. 544.
Trichopteryx simplex Hack. ex Engl. [family POACEAE], in Abh. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. 1891, ii. 129: 1892 (Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr.); Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 846; K. Schum. in Engl. Pflanzenw.Ost-Afr. C. 109; Stapf in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 450; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 214 and in Journ. Linn. Soc., Bot. xl. 233; Wood, Natal Pl. ii. 185; Eyles in Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Afr. v. 305 (including var. minor, Stapf); Stent & Rattray in Proc. Rhod. Sci. Assoc. xxxii. 39; Peter in Fedde, Repert. Beih. xl. I. 300 (? including var. longifolia, Peter).
Trichopteryx simplex Rendle var. gracilis [family POACEAE], in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 214 (1899).
Trichopteryx elegans Hack. ex Engl. [family POACEAE], in Abh. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. 1891, ii. 129 (1892).
Trichopteryx elegans Franch. var. subulifolia [family POACEAE], in Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Autun. viii. 373: 1895 (Contr. Fl. Congo Franç. 65).
Trichopteryx incompta Franch. [family POACEAE], l.c. (l.c.).
Trichopteryx nigritiana Stapf [family POACEAE], in Kew Bulletin, 1897, 297, in part.
Trichopteryx gracilis Peter [family POACEAE], in Fedde, Repert. Beih. xl. I. Descr. Pl. Nov. Afr. Or. 95 (1930), Fl. Deutsch. Ost-Afr. 300. t. 54, fig. 1.
Tristachya simplex Nees [family POACEAE], Fl. Afr. Austr. 269 (1841).
Tristachya elegans A. Rich. [family POACEAE], Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 418 (1851).
Loudetia elegans Hochst. ex A. Br. [family ], in Flora, 1841, 713; Steud. Syn. Pl. Glum. i. 238.
Information
A tufted perennial. Culms erect or slightly geniculate, 1–5 ft. high, slender to moderately stout, 1–4-noded, simple, glabrous, pubescent or pilose. Leaves mostly basal; sheaths firm, glabrous, or more or less pilose or hispid with tubercle-based hairs, glabrous or more often bearded at the nodes, the lowermost frequently tomentose to villous or woolly at the base and then finally splitting into fibres, the upper shorter than the internodes; ligule a densely ciliolate rim; blade narrowly linear, tapering to a fine tip, 5–12 in. or more long, 1 1/4–3 lin. wide, flat or convolute, firm, thinly to densely hairy or glabrescent or glabrous, scaberulous on the margins. Panicle contracted and dense, or open and loose, 3–16 in. long, up to 3 in. wide; rhachis scaberulous or smooth, rarely hairy; branches semi-verticillate or clustered, or solitary upwards, up to 4 in. long, finely filiform, scaberulous; pedicels unequal, the lateral mostly 1/2–2 1/2 lin. long, the terminal up to 8 lin. or more long. Spikelets linear-lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, usually 5–6 1/2 lin. long (rarely less to 4 lin. or more to 7 1/2 lin.), light- to dark-brown, rarely pallid. Glumes chartaceous to coriaceous, 3-nerved, glabrous, or rarely with a few white bristle-like hairs from dark brown tubercles; lower narrowly ovate to ovate-oblong, truncate, rounded or obtuse at the apex, usually 1 1/2–3 lin. long; upper linear-lanceolate, truncate or obtuse, as long as the spikelet. Lower floret ♂: valve narrowly lanceolate, acute or obtuse at the apex, as long as the spikelet or slightly shorter, 3-nerved, usually glabrous; valvule linear, obtuse, 2 1/2–4 lin. long. Upper floret linear: callus emarginate and two-toothed, 1/4– 1/2 lin. long; valve 2–3 lin. long, 2-lobed, with the acute lobes 1/4– 1/2 lin. long, finely 7-nerved, thinly coriaceous, pubescent; awn 1 1/4–2 in. long; column scaberulous or minutely pubescent, 3–10 lin. long; bristle curved; valvule linear, 2 1/4–3 lin. long. Anthers 2, 1 1/4–2 lin. long.
Distribution
Congo Lower Guinea River Nyanga, Dybowski, 23! Mpila Plain, near Brazzaville, Thollon, 65! without precise locality, Thollon !Angola Lower Guinea Lower Congo; Muanda Stream, Gossweiler 8555! Peco Stream, Gossweiler, 8561! Cuanza Norte; Ritari Hambeca, Quizenga, Camondai, Cazengo, on hills, Gossweiler, 5801! Quitomba, Camabatela, in meadows, 2300 ft., Gossweiler, 7467! Pungo Andongo; Bumba, Ambuilla and Condo as far as Quisonde, in damp meadows, Welwitsch, 7395! between Condo and Quisonde, in wooded meadows, Welwitsch, 7444*! between Pedras de Quinga and Candumba, in wooded fields, Welwitsch, 7443*! Monino, in meadows, Welwitsch, 7495! on the slopes of Cabindo, Welwitsch, 2714! above Catete, in boggy places on rocks, Welwitsch, 2787! between Candumba and Muta-Lucala and also near Mopopo, Welwitsch, 7406! Bié; skirting the marshes of Rio Domba—Cuanaval, Gossweiler, 2832! in meadows skirting the Cuito River, on ant hills, in moist situations, Gossweiler, 3197! skirting the Rio Tiengo, along edge of marshes, Gossweiler, 2773! 4075! Kubal, in park grounds of valley, Gossweiler, 3615! Sierra da Chela, Newton, 13!Tanganyika Mozamb. Dist. Karagwe, Speke & Grant, 486! Kigoma, high land, Shantz, 673! Uha; between Birira and Lake Manyoni, 4400 ft., Peter, 37787! Singida District; near Matelele, 3700 ft., Burtt, 1441! N. Mpwapwa, in mountain grassland, 5000 ft., Greenway, 2421! Ussagara, Buga, 5900 ft., Schmidt, G6262! Iringa Province; Iringa, Styx, G6263! Lynes, Ig242! Emson, 472! Njombe Hills, 6000–6500 ft., Wolfe, 2! Emson, 32! 89! Mbeya, 5000 ft., Davies, 325! Mbeya District; Unyamwanya, 4000 ft., Davies, 180*! Mbosi, Jacobsen, 32! Mufindi, Mahanga Hill, mountain grassland, 6500 ft., Davies, A3*! A12! Mufindi West, 5600–6200 ft., St. Clair-Thompson, 639! Kyimbila District; Mwampuloland, Stolz, 1228! Mwera Plateau, Lindi, 1000 ft., Brand, 83! between Rifuira and Msowero, 5300 ft., Marcus, 8!Nyasaland Mozamb. Dist. Mt. Zomba, 4000–6000 ft., Whyte ! Shire Highlands, Buchanan, 13! Mt. Mlanje, Adamson, 417*! 420!Northern Rhodesia Mozamb. Dist. Chiwale Farm, near Abercorn, 5500 ft., St. Clair-Thompson, 1129! Lake Tanganyika, Cameron ! Ndola, 4000 ft., Trapnell, 1423!Southern Rhodesia Mozamb. Dist. Salisbury, Craster, 21! Eyles, 1544! Allen, 694! Mundy ! road to Norton, Young, 3! Marandellas, S. Rhod. Dept. Agric. Herb. 2265! Rattray, 198! Mrewa, near water, Appleton, 9! Inyanga District; Mundy *! Cheshire, in grassland, 1000 ft., Norlindh & Weimarck, 4806! Inyanga Down, near Tsanga Stream, in grassland, 5600 ft., Nordlindh & Weimarck, 4727! Inyanga, in grassland, etc., 5600 ft., Norlindh & Weimarck, 4449*! 4539*! near Inyanori Stream, in grassland, 6000 ft., Norlindh & Weimarck, 4625*! Inyazura, 4100 ft., Lloyd in Herb. Eyles, 2414! Insiza, Pardy, 19! Umtali, 5200–5800 ft., S. Rhod. Dept. Agric. Herb. 3374! Eyles, 6836*! Sawer, 41*! Gweebi flats, wet lands, Allen, 604! Syringa, Nobbs, 649! Matopos, Rattray, 301! Chipetzana source, 4000 ft., Swynnerton, 974! near Chirinda, 3700 ft., Swynnerton, 1618! Gazaland; Nyahodi River, 4000 ft., Swynnerton, 1662!Sudan Nile Land Bongoland; Gir, Schweinfurth, 3138!Abyssinia Nile Land Tigre; Mt. Sholoda, Schimper, 18*! Amba Harres, 7500 ft., Schimper, 1004*!Uganda Nile Land Karamoja; Rom Mtn., Liebenberg, 1797 (in part)! 1799! Teso; Serere, low-lying areas, 3600 ft., Chandler, 711! Bugishu; Butiru, Liebenberg, 847! Sipi, on rocks, 6000 ft., Thomas, 444! Buligenye, in short grass, 4600 ft., Thomas, 373! Simu Valley, in shallow soil overlying rocks, 5000 ft., Snowden, 1242! Bugwere, Liebenberg, 865! Busoga; Namatumba, in grassy swamp, 3700–4000 ft., Maitland, 1119! Mengo; Busana, Liebenberg, 1552! Kibanga, 3780 ft., Dummer, 1406! Bunyoro; mile 120, Hoima Road, open grass country, Liebenberg, 1728!Kenya Nile Land Mt. Elgon, 6700 ft., Lugard, 668! west end of the Cherangani Hills, 7000 ft., Chaundy !Congo South Central Katanga; Luishisi Mine, near Elisabethville, Burtt-Davy, 17780! Kambue Mine, near Elisabethville, Burtt-Davy, 18036*!French Guinea Upper Guinea Kouroussa, Pobéguin, 504! Timbo, Pobéguin, 1725*! 1726*!Nigeria Upper Guinea Jeba, Barter ! Naraguta, on plains, Lely, 444! Lokoja, Macleod, 33! Abinsi and vicinity, in bush, Dalziel, 867! Bauchi Plateau, on rocks, Lely, 500! Pankshin Division; Vodni, Saunders, 63! without precise locality, Lely, 781! Barter !
Distribution (external)
South Africa (Transvaal, Natal and Orange Free State)
Notes
This species comprises a number of forms, so closely related that it has been impossible to separate them satisfactorily as distinct species by the examination of herbarium material alone; nor has it been considered advisable at present to give any of them a varietal name. The hairiness of the culms, nodes and leaves is very variable; for example, specimens from most areas show all gradations from glabrous to densely hairy culms. The glumes are typically glabrous and smooth, but specimens with setose glumes have been collected here and there throughout the area of the species; these are marked by an asterisk (*) in the above enumeration. In some cases both glabrous and setose-glumed specimens are present in the same gathering (e.g. Lely, 500 and Saunders, 63, from Northern Nigeria), whilst in others a series ranging from sparsely to closely setose glumes can be seen in the same collection (e.g. Pobéguin, 1726, from French Guinea). Trichopteryx elisabethvilleana, De Wild. (in Ann. Soc. Sc. Brux. xxxix. Mém. 153: 1920; Fl. Katanga, v. 31) based on Bequaert, 311, from Elisabethville, Belgian Congo, is a variety of Loudetia simplex with hairy geniculate culms, loose panicle, setulose and tuberculate glumes. A specimen, similar to Bequaert's plant, was collected by Emson (no. 298) at Musoma in Tanganyika Territory, this has a less setulose or glabrous lower glume. Specimens collected by Mundy and by Norlindh and Weimarck (4449, 4539, 4625) in the Inyanga District, Southern Rhodesia, represent the same variety as Trichopteryx simplex, Hack. var. sericea, Stapf (in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 450: 1899). This variety has the lowermost leaf-sheaths woolly at the base and at length splitting into fibres, a narrow dense panicle, hairy glumes and lower valve. Tristachya elegans, A. Rich., as represented by specimens collected in Abyssinia by Schimper (18, 1004), is characterised by the glabrous culms, lowermost leaf-sheaths being densely woolly at the base, and by the bristly glumes. Plants with a similar woolly base occur in Northern Nigeria, Uganda, Tanganyika Territory and South Africa, but the glumes are usually glabrous. Tri- chopteryx simplex, Hack. var. gracilis, Rendle, has slender culms, glabrous or pubescent lowermost leaf-sheaths, loose panicles and glabrous glumes. It is the commonest type in Angola and Southern Rhodesia and also occurs in the Transvaal. A similar plant was described by Peter as Trichopteryx gracilis. Trichopteryx nigritiana, Stapf, was based on four sheets of specimens collected in Northern Nigeria by Barter. Three of these are referable to Loudetia simplex, whilst the fourth contains a complete plant of L. acuminata and an inflorescence of L. arundinacea .