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Perotis patens
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Photo: Bart Wursten
Eland Way, Haka
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| Synonyms: | |
| Common names: | Bottle-brush grass (English) Bottlebrush (English) Cats tail grass (English) Catstail grass (English) Rainbow grass (English) |
| Frequency: | Common |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Annual or short-lived perennial grass, up to 1 m. A sparsely tufted grass with relatively few leaves, leaf laminas 2–8(11) cm × 3–12 mm, lanceolate to narrowly ovate. Inflorescence 7–35 cm long, a long and slender spike, well exserted from the uppermost leaf sheath. Spikelets densely packed along the rhachis with long, hair-like awns, 2–2.6 mm long, rounded at the base and without a definite callus; glumes scaberulous to minutely hispidulous, with a slender, purple or carmine, flexuous awn, those of the 2 glumes similar, 8–15(25) mm long.Caryopsis terete. |
| Notes: | By far the most common of the three species of Perotis. |
| Derivation of specific name: | patens: spreading, diverging from the axis at almost 90 degrees |
| Habitat: | Often a pioneer in eroded places and sandy soils in cultivated and disturbed areas and along roadsides. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | Up to 1700 m |
| Flowering time: | Nov - Apr |
| Worldwide distribution: | Widespread in tropical and South Africa and Madagascar |
| 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: |
Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 43. Cope, T.A. (1999). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(2) Pages 249 - 253. (Includes a picture). Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 510. (Includes a picture). Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 54. 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 108. Roodt, V. (2015). Grasses & Grazers of Botswana and the surrounding savanna Struik Nature, South Africa Pages 164 - 165. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 142. 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 28. 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 191. |
Other sources of information about Perotis patens:
Our websites:
Flora of Botswana: Perotis patensFlora of Burundi: Perotis patens
Flora of Caprivi: Perotis patens
Flora of Malawi: Perotis patens
Flora of Mozambique: Perotis patens
Flora of Zambia: Perotis patens
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Perotis patensAfrican Plant Database: Perotis patens
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Perotis patens
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Perotis patens
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Perotis patens
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Perotis patens
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Perotis patens
JSTOR Plant Science: Perotis patens
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Perotis patens
Plants of the World Online: Perotis patens
Tropicos: Perotis patens
Wikipedia: Perotis patens
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