Poaceae
Sorghastrum

Sorghastrum incompletum (J.Presl) Nash

First published in N.L.Britton & al. (eds.), N. Amer. Fl. 17: 130 (1912)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to Venezuela, Bolivia, Tropical Africa. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food.

Descriptions

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Distribution
Native to Colombia.
Habit
Herb.
[UPFC]

Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms decumbent; weak; 30-300 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 10-60 cm long; 3-10 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Panicle open; lanceolate; 10-40 cm long. Panicle branches capillary. Racemes bearing a triad of spikelets; 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis obsolete. Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels. Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 4-5.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse. Spikelet callus hairs white; 0.5-1.5 mm long.
Sterile
Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 4-5.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse. Spikelet callus hairs white; 0.5-1.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; firmer than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; dark brown; without keels; 9 -veined. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume hairs white, or grey, or yellow. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume oblong; without keels.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 1 length of spikelet; hyaline; 2 -veined; ciliate on margins. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; bigeniculate; 25-40 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn pubescent; hairy on the spiral. Palea absent or minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; glabrous.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and western Indian ocean. North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.
Reference
Andropogoneae. FTEA.
[GB]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0