Stipagrostis namaquensis
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Full name: | Stipagrostis namaquensis (Nees) De Winter |
| Location: | Kriess-se-rus (2315AD) |
| ID status: | Fairly certain |
| Afrikaans common name(s): | Kalaharikweek, Steekkweek, Steekrietboesmangras, Steekwiet, Bamboeskweek |
| English common name(s): | River bushman grass |
| Synonym(s): | Aristida namaquensis (Nees) Trin. & Rupr. Aristida namaquensis (Nees) Trin. & Rupr. var. vagans Arthratherum namaquense Nees Arthratherum namaquensis Nees var. fruticuliforme Arthratherum namaquensis Nees var. vagans |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: | HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths pubescent. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 100–200 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth, or scaberulous; distally glabrous. Lateral branches fastigiate, or suffrutescent. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades erect; deciduous at the ligule; aciculate; convolute; 6–10 cm long; 1–2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex pungent. INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate; interrupted; 10–30 cm long. Panicle branches smooth, or scaberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 10–15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 1.5 mm long; pubescent; pungent. GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 8–13 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 10–15 mm long; 1.4–1.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate. FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 7–9 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3-branched; with 11–25 mm long limb; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing across body of lemma; limb plumose; hairy throughout limb. Column of lemma awn 1–2 mm long. Lateral lemma awns 7–20 mm long; shorter than principal; plumose. Palea without keels. FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 5 mm long. (from RBG Kew: GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora) |
| Link(s) |
African Plant Database
JSTOR Plant Science Kew Herbarium Catalogue BGBM Berlin-Dahlem - Virtual Herbarium Züricher Herbarien iNaturalist (Namibia / Alex Dreyer) iNaturalist (Namibia) iNaturalist (southern Africa) Flora of Zimbabwe Fleurs de notre Terre - Galerie Namibie Tree Atlas of Namibia |
| Photographer: | AA Dreyer |
| Date of photograph: | 20 Sep 2013 |
| Camera make: | Panasonic |
| Camera model: | DMC-FZ45 |
| Lens aperture: | f/5.6 |
| Shutter speed: | 1/320 s |
| ISO speed: | 100 |
| Content last updated: | 18 Apr 2024 |
