Kyllinga pumila Michx.

Code

KYLPU

Growth form

sedge

Biological cycle

Annual

Habitat

Terrestrial

Global description
 
Kyllinga pumila is a species growing in cespitose tuft with linear leaves in V section. The floral axis carry a group of 3 or 4 terminals globular spikes. The spikelets are composed of two interlocked glumes, with apiculate top, curved toward the back. The fruit is a flat biconvex achene topped with a forked style.
 
First leaves
 
The first leaves are linear with lengthily pointed lamina. The section of the blade is in wide V. The margin and the underside of the midrib are strongly scabrous. At the base, the sheaths are interlocked in a tristichous manner and are 2 to 4 cm. The blade of young leaves is vertically erected.
 
General habit
 
The plant grows as a cespitose tuft from which grow several floral axes. A tuft measure up to 40 cm in height and 10 to 30 cm in diameter.
 
Underground system
 
The roots are fibrous. They are simple, filiform, in large number, and with a fibrous appearance.
 
Stem
 
The stem is the flowering axis. It is full and trigonal with sharp angles, 1 to 2 mm large. It is smooth and shiny bright green in color.
 
Leaf

The leaves are linear, arranged in a tristichous way. They are 10 to 20 cm long 2 to 5 mm wide. The section of the blade is in wide V, the apex acute. The margin and the underside of the midrib are strongly scabrous. At the base of the blade, is a closed sheath, non-fibrous and with triangular section. Both sides are glabrous. Wrinkled leaves exhale a pleasant odor of fresh grass (coumarin).
 
Inflorescence
 
The flowers are grouped in globular spikes grouped by 3 or 4 at the end of the axis. The median spike is more developed than the lateral spikes. It measures 10 to 15 mm long and 7 to 8 mm in diameter. The group of spikes is underpinned by 3 or 4 linear leafy bracts, 3 to 15 cm long.
 
Spikelet
 
The spikelets are composed of two interlocks glumes overlapping each other, which give them a flattened shape. The glumes are 4 mm long, green in color, marked with white veins and a finely scabrous keel in its upper part. The top of the glumes are apiculate and bent backward. Each spikelet contains 1 or 2 ovaries topped with a bifid style.
 
Fruit
 
The fruits are oblong achenes flattened, biconvex, 1.8 mm long and 0.7 mm wide. They are topped by a bifid style. The seed coat, light brown in colour, finely reticulated.

Madagascar: Kyllinga pumila can bloom throughout the year if the soil remains moist.

 

Kyllinga pumila is an annual to shortly perennial species when soil moisture is adequate throughout the year. It is propagated by seeds spread by water and tillage tools.

The different species of Cyperaceae are difficult to identify at the juvenile stages: the Kyllinga differ from other cyperaceae by the pleasant smell of fresh grass (coumarin) that are exhaled when their leaves are wrinkled.

Northern Cameroon: Kyllinga pumila is a species typical of moist soils. It is found in the Sudanese region in plots newly cultivated of ferruginous soil well structured. It disappears after a few years of cultivation when the soil is degraded and becomes too filtering. In drier areas it grows on the ferruginous or alluvial soils on river edge or, more rarely, on clay soils with high water retention.
Madagascar: Kyllinga pumila grows on alluvial soils, ferruginous fertile loamy soils in sunny places or slightly shaded. It is found in damp grassy places. It is a weed in recent fallows, and in annual or perennial crops in sub-humid plains area of low elevation (upland rice, vegetables, fruit crops) in semi-intensive cropping systems in wetlands up to 600 m of elevation.

Origin

Kyllinga pumila is native to Africa.

Worldwide distribution

This species occurs throughout tropical Africa, but also in South Central America, Southern USA, Madagascar.

Local harmfulness
 
Burkina Faso: frequent and generally abundant.
Northern Cameroon: In Northern Cameroon, Kyllinga pumila remains a minor weed, but is a good indicator of moist soil with good drainage.
Ivory Coast: frequent and scarce.
Ghana: frequent and generally abundant.
Kenya: common and scarce.
Madagascar: K. pumila is a weed not frequent and not abundant in crops. It does not present any particular difficulty except moisture and soil physical properties that may be a factor limiting the effectiveness of manual weeding. It is a weed species typical to moist soils in the low plains. In rare cases K. pumila can form small interfering stands in vegetables or some fruit crops.
Mali: frequent and scarce.
Nigeria: frequent and generally abundant.
Senegal: rare and scarce.
Uganda: rare and scarce.
Chad: frequent and scarce

Local control

Madagascar: Kyllinga pumila is controlled by hand weeding with angady in cropping systems based on rain-fed rice, vegetables.

Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Kyllinga%2520pumila