| Home | > | List of families | > | Poaceae | > | Vossia | > | cuspidata |
| Synonyms: |
Ischaemum cuspidatum Roxb. Vossia procera Wall. & Griff. |
| Common names: | Hippo grass (English) |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Perennial; culms submerged or floating, up to 7 m long and 1 cm in diameter, spongy, with fibrous roots from the nodes, standing 1–2 m out of the water. Leaf laminas 30–100 cm × 6–18 mm, linear. Racemes 1–12, each 10–30 cm long. Sessile spikelet narrowly ovate; inferior glume 2–4 cm long, the body 6–8 mm long, yellowish with green tail. Pedicelled spikelet a little smaller than the sessile. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | |
| Habitat: | Growing in or near water, often floating |
| Altitude range: (metres) | 400 - 1100 m |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | N,W,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. (2002). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(4) Pages 164 - 165. (Includes a picture). Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 430. (Includes a picture). Jackson, G. & Wiehe, P.O. (1958). An Annotated Check List of Nyasaland Grasses The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland Page 65. 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 111. Roodt, V. (2015). Grasses & Grazers of Botswana and the surrounding savanna Struik Nature, South Africa Pages 224 - 225. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 148. 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 193. |
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