Chloris gayana Kunth

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Synonyms: Chloris abyssinica Hochst. ex A. Rich.
Chloris glabrata Andersson
Common names: Rhodes grass (English)
Frequency:
Status: Native
Description:
Stoloniferous perennial up to 150 cm tall, erect or geniculately ascending, sometimes rooting from the nodes; leaf laminas 5–30 cm × 1.3–6 mm, flat or rarely involute, tapering to a fine point.Inflorescence of 4–11 digitate racemes 7–10 cm long.Spikelets 3–4-flowered, 2-awned; inferior glume 1.6–2 mm long; superior glume 2.4–3.4 mm long; floret callus rounded; fertile lemma 2.6–3.6 mm long, lanceolate-ovate in profile, pallid, sparsely to densely ciliate on the margins and keel, the awn 3.4–7 mm long; 2nd lemma 1.5–3 mm long, lanceolate, rarely ciliate on the margins, the awn 1.5–5.5 mm long; 3rd lemma reduced to an awnless glabrous clavate scale 0.75–2 mm long, occasionally the 3rd lemma similar to the second, but then with a rudimentary 4th floret.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name: gayana: after Claude Gay, 1800-1873, French natural historian.
Habitat: Widespread in grassland on fertile soils at medium altitudes in higher rainfall areas and at low altitudes in moist soils of floodplains, lake shores and river banks
Altitude range: (metres) 0 - 1710 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: South Africa, tropical Africa, introduced and naturalized elsewhere
Zimbabwe distribution: N,W,C,E,S
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Literature:

Cope, T.A. (1999). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(2) Page 213.

Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 33.

Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 101.

Roodt, V. (2015). Grasses & Grazers of Botswana and the surrounding savanna Struik Nature, South Africa Pages 62 - 63. (Includes a picture).

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 132.

Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 27.

Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 187.


Other sources of information about Chloris gayana:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Chloris gayana
Flora of Burundi: Chloris gayana
Flora of Caprivi: Chloris gayana
Flora of Malawi: Chloris gayana
Flora of Mozambique: Chloris gayana
Flora of Zambia: Chloris gayana

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Chloris gayana
African Plant Database: Chloris gayana
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Chloris gayana
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Chloris gayana
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Chloris gayana
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Chloris gayana
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Chloris gayana
JSTOR Plant Science: Chloris gayana
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Chloris gayana
Plants of the World Online: Chloris gayana
Tropicos: Chloris gayana
Wikipedia: Chloris gayana


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Chloris gayana.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=105700, retrieved 31 October 2024

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