genus descriptions: SSTAs

Pogonochloa

C.E.Hubb.
Description:
Perennials with short, oblique rhizome; culms usually erect with leaves confined to lower ?. Leaves: lowermost sheaths densely imbricate, loose, persistent, irregularly splitting; leaf blades flat, linear-lanceolate, glaucous, rigid, narrowed at apex into a hard blunt point. Inflorescence a spiciform head of numerous short, closely spaced racemes on an elongated axis. Spikelets 2- or 3-flowered; second floret male or sterile; third floret reduced to an awn, laterally compressed, alternate in 2 rows on a tough axis, shortly pedicellate, disarticulating above glumes; glumes subequal, 1-nerved, membranous, keeled, as long as spikelet and enclosing florets, shortly awned; fertile lemma much shorter than glumes, membranous, entire and acute at apex, with a long flexuous terminal awn. Caryopsis fusiform.
Distribution:
Monotypic genus: Pogonochloa greenwayi C.E.Hubb., known only from Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith
Orthoclada

P.Beauv.
Description:
Robust perennial grasses with erect or ascending culms and a stout, horizontally creeping rhizome; ligule membranous, truncate, short. Leaf blade with a short pseudopetiole; venation tessellate. Inflorescences loose open panicles. Spikelets pedicelled, laterally compressed, imbricate, awnless, 1
Distribution:
Species described 2: 1 in tropical America, 1 in trop. Africa: Orthoclada africana C.E.Hubb.; sthn trop. Afr.: Zambia.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith
Poecilostachys

Hack.
Description:
Trailing perennials, often rooting at nodes; culms up to
Distribution:
Species
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Chloachne Stapf; Simon: 30 (1971); Clayton & Renvoize: 545 (1982).

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith
Tacca

J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
Description:
Description as for family.
Distribution:
Species 10, pantropical; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Schizocapsa Hance.

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith
Kabuyea

Brummitt
Description:
Perennial acaulescent herbs; corms several, superposed one above the other. Leaves basal,
Distribution:
Monotypic genus: Kabuyea hostifolia (Engl.) Brummitt, eastern trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr.: Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith
Cyanastrum

Oliv.
Description:
Geophytes with annual aerial parts; tubers depressed-globose to disc-like, superposed to forming a vertical series, not tunicated; roots emerging from sides of tuber. Leaves basal, petiolate to subsessile, rolled in bud, ovate to ovate-orbicular, decurrent to cordate, with schizogenous oil channels. Inflorescence racemose, terminating a flowering stem, sometimes appearing before leaves; bracts and bracteoles present or absent. Perianth: segments forming a very short tube at base, blue or white. Stamens all perfect and similar, arising on perianth at throat of tube. Seeds containing chalazosperm (nutrient tissue developing at chalazal end); embryo subglobose, containing starch.
Distribution:
Species 3, trop. Africa from Nigeria to Tanzania and Mozambique; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Cyanastrum johnstonii Baker, Zambia, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith
Saccharum

L.
Description:
Rhizomatous perennials; culms 2
Distribution:
Species 35
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith
Sclerodactylon

Stapf
Description:
Densely caespitose glaucous perennials, sometimes with creeping stolons; culms erect, straight and usually simple. Leaves all basal; blade subulate, cylindric or
Distribution:
Monotypic genus: Sclerodactylon macrostachyum (Benth.) A.Camus, Ocean islands and the adjacent coast of E Africa; sthn trop. Afr.: Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith
Piptophyllum

C.E.Hubb.
Description:
Caespitose perennials with very slender, erect, simple culms densely covered at base with woolly fibrous remains of old leaf sheaths. Leaf blade filiform, involute, rigid, at length disarticulating from sheath; ligule reduced to a series of short cilia. Inflorescence a lanceolate-oblong to narrowly oblong panicle with capillary branches. Spikelets oblong to cuneate, laterally compressed, aristate; rachilla disarticulating above glumes and between florets. Florets 2, bisexual; callus very short, obtuse, densely bearded with short hairs. Glumes persistent, slightly unequal, lanceolate to oblong, acute or minutely toothed at apex, membranous, 1-nerved; lemmas longer than glumes, usually 5
Distribution:
Monotypic: Piptophyllum welwitschii (Rendle) C.E.Hubb., known only from Angola.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith
Neyraudia

Hook.f.
Description:
Tall, reed-like perennials with short, scaly rhizome ; culms up to 4 m high and up to 10 mm in diameter, somewhat woody. Leaf blade mostly involute, filiform at apex. Inflorescence a large plumose panicle. Spikelets 2
Distribution:
Species 2, Old World tropics; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Neyraudia arundinacea (L.) Henr., Malawi.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:23 -- Emily Smith

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