Poaceae
Chloris

Chloris diluta Renvoize

First published in Kew Bull. 31: 844 (1977)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Zimbabwe to Northern Prov. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Stolons absent, or present. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 40-85 cm long; wiry; 4-8 -noded. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 10-30 cm long; 4-7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; pilose; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 4-6; digitate; spreading; unilateral; 5-8 cm long. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 3.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus obtuse.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 3.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 2-2.5 mm long; 0.6-0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.5 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; laterally compressed; 3.5 mm long; cartilaginous; pallid; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy above. Lemma apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 8-12 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; separate; elliptic; 1 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns subapical; 2-8 mm long; 1 per spikelet in number.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; trigonous. Hilum punctiform.
Distribution
Africa: southern tropical and south.
Reference
Cynodonteae. Renvoize 1997.
[GB]

Gramineae, T. Cope. Flora Zambesiaca 10:2. 1999

Morphology General Habit
Rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial up to 85 cm tall, erect or ascending; leaf laminas 10–30 cm × 4–7 mm, flat, tapering to a fine point.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of 4–6 digitate or subdigitate racemes 5–8 cm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2-flowered, 2-awned; inferior glume 2–2.5 mm long; superior glume 3.3–3.9 mm long; floret callus oblong; fertile lemma c. 3.5 mm long, elliptic in profile, pallid, sparsely ciliate on the margins above, otherwise glabrous, the awn 8–12 mm long; 2nd lemma a narrowly oblong scale c. 1 mm long, with an awn 2–8 mm long.
[FZ]

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]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • 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