Poaceae
Panicum

Panicum wiehei Renvoize

First published in Kew Bull. 34: 554 (1979 publ. 1980)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is South Sudan to N. Mozambique. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms decumbent, or rambling; 30-100 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base simple, or cordate. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 6-16 cm long; 8-18 mm wide; herbaceous, or membranous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 7-15 cm long. Primary panicle branches moderately divided, or profusely divided. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 2-2.5(-3) mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 2-2.5(-3) mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.25-0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0-1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; dorsally compressed; 1.5-2 mm long; indurate; pallid; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate.
Distribution
Africa: northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[GB]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora Zambesiaca 10:3. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Annual with scrambling culms 30–100 cm. long.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf laminae 6–16 cm. long and 8–18 mm. wide, lanceolate, acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 7–15 cm. long, ovate, moderately to much branched.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2–2.5 mm. long, ovate, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; inferior glume 1/4–1/3 the length of the spikelet, 0–1-nerved; superior glume 5-nerved; inferior lemma 5-nerved, male, its palea well developed; superior lemma and palea pallid, glossy.
[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]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit
Annual; culms 30–100 cm. or more long, decumbent or scrambling, rooting at the lower nodes.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 6–16 cm. long, 8–18 mm. wide, cordate or straight at the base, herbaceous or membranous, flat, glabrous or pilose, scabrid on the margins, acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle broadly ovate, 7–15 cm. long, moderately to much branched.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets ovate, 2–2.5 mm. long, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; lower glume ovate, 1/4–1/3 the length of the spikelet, 0–1-nerved, obtuse or acute; upper glume ovate, antrorsely scaberulous on the back, 5-nerved; lower lemma similar, ♂, its palea well developed; upper lemma pale, shining.
Habitat
Forest margins and riverine woodland 1700–2200 m.
Distribution
U1
[FTEA]

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • 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