Mesosetum caudiculatum (Hack.) Swallen

  • Authority

    Swallen, Jason R. 1937. The Grass Genus Mesosetum. Brittonia. 4: 363-392.

  • Family

    Poaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Mesosetum caudiculatum (Hack.) Swallen

  • Description

    Species Description - Perennial; culms tufted, erect, about 55 cm. tall, the nodes ap- pressed-pubescent; sheaths glabrous, the lowermost longer than the internodes, the others much shorter than the internodes; ligule ciliate, 0.3 mm. long; blades acuminate, involute, more or less curved or flexuous, 4-8 cm. long, 1-4 mm. wide (unrolled), glabrous or the lower ones pubescent on the lower surface; raceme 4 cm. long, the rachis winged, 1 mm. wide, with conspicuous green nerves; spikelets laterally compressed, 3.5-4 mm. long; first glume 3.5 mm. long, 3-nerved, glabrous, the tip irregularly lobed, awned from between the lobes, the awn 2.5 mm. long, strong, straight, minutely scabrous; second glume 3.5 mm. long, 5-nerved, obtuse, mucronate, the margins ciliate on the lower half, the back with a row of stiff hairs across it about one-fourth from the summit; lower floret staminate, the lemma equaling the second glume, obtuse, 5-nerved, the back thin, the margins thickened, the midnerve hispid on the upper fourth, the lateral internerves bearing a tuft of stiff hairs about the middle, the palea subacute, a little shorter than the lemma; fruit 2.8 mm. long, acute, pubescent on the upper third, obscurely keeled toward the summit, the keel shortly ciliate; anthers 1.8 mm. long, purple.

  • Discussion

    Panicum caudicitlaium Haek. Oesterr. Bot. Zeits. 47: 76. 1897.

    Bifaria caudicultata Kuntze, Rev. Geni. P1. 32: 359. 1898.

    TYPE LOCALITY: "Itiquira ad Fazenda do Cipo," Goyaz, Brazil. Type collected by Glaziou (no. 22453).

  • Distribution

    Known only from the type locality on the central plateau of Goyaz, Brazil

    Brazil South America|