Andropogon appendiculatus Nees

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Poaceae > Andropogon

Characteristics

Densely tufted perennial 300-1300 mm high; basal sheaths distichous, compressed, keeled, flattened, shining, yellow becoming brown; culms branched, yellowish usually reddish tinged. Leaf blade 150-500 x to 6 mm, folded, keeled; margins smooth, reddish, tapering to a fine point; ligule a minutely fringed membrane. Inflorescence subdigitate, 4-20 racemes per spathe, racemes (30-)60-150 mm long, usually dark purple; pedicels and internodes filiform, broadening at apex, hairy on margins; culm glabrous below inflorescence. Sessile spikelet (4)5-7 mm long; glumes lack pits between nerves, not winged; lower glume deeply and broadly grooved or ± flat, awnless, glabrous except for hairs on keels near apex; upper glume back concave; upper lemma bifid to middle; awn 9-15 mm long, geniculate; callus inserted in internode apex, socket with hairs inside; anthers ±1.5 mm long. Pedicellate spikelet 3.5-6.5 mm long; lower glume with a prominent median nerve and a wide space between the 2 to 3 slender lateral nerves; male; shortly mucronate or awned; anthers 3-4 mm long.
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Densely tufted perennial, 0.3-1.3 m high; basal sheaths keeled, flattened, distichous, shining; culms branched, yellowish with reddish tinge. Leaf blade reddish; ligule a minutely fringed membrane. Inflorescence subdigitate, of 4-20 racemes per spathe, (30-)60-150 mm long, dark purple-tinged; pedicels and internodes filiform, hairy on margins; spikelets paired: one sessile, the other pedicelled. Sessile spikelet 5-7 mm long; lower glume with a shallow groove or ± flat, awnless, glabrous; upper glume concave on back. Florets 2; lower floret sterile, lemma hyaline, 2-nerved, awnless; upper floret bisexual, lemma lobed to middle, awned from sinus, awn 10-15 mm long, geniculate, conspicuous with a glabrous or hairy twisted column, sometimes entire and awnless; callus obtuse, short, inserted in a membranous-edged socket, with hairs inside. Pedicellate spikelet 3.5-4.5 mm long, shortly mucronate, male. Flowering time Oct.-Apr.
Perennial; up to 1.3 m high; densely tufted. Leaf blades up to 150-500 x 6 mm; basal leaf sheaths keeled; flattened; yellow; becoming brown; shining. Flowers: inflorescence subdigitate; 1 or 2 flowering branches per culm; spike-like; racemes 4-20 per spathe; (30-)60-150 mm long; dark purple; with short hairs; pedicels rounded; slightly clavate; spikelets sessile or pedicellate; 5-7 x (0.7-)0.9-1.2 mm; callus of sessile spikelets inserted in a membranous-edged socket; lower glume of pedicellate spikelet not ribbed; central nerve prominent; 2 or 3 slender lateral nerves widely spaced; lemma awn 10-15 mm long.
Perennial, densely tufted, up to 1.3 m high. Leaf blades 150-500 mm long, up to 6 mm wide. Basal sheaths keeled, flattened, yellow, becoming brown, shining. Spikelets (sessile and pedicellate) 5-7 mm long, (0.7-)0.9-l,2 mm wide. Inflorescence of 1 or 2 flowering branches per culm, racemes 4-20 per spathe, (30-)60-150 mm long, dark purple, with short hairs, pedicels rounded, slightly clavate; callus of sessile spikelets inserted in a membranous-edged socket, lower glume deeply but broadly grooved. Lemma awn 10-15 mm long.
Leaves glabrous except at the summit of the sheath; basal sheaths laterally compressed and keeled, distichous and shining; ligule a short (c. 1.5 mm) minutely fringed membrane; laminas 15–25 cm × c. 3 mm wide, folded and keeled, smooth on the margins, tapering to a very fine point at the apex.
Racemes up to 10 in subdigitate groups, 9–10 cm long, slender, flexuous, sparsely pubescent, exserted from the spatheoles, dark red; peduncles longer than the racemes; internodes and pedicels filiform, ciliate on both margins, the internodes shorter than the sessile spikelets.
Sessile spikelet 4.5–5 mm long; inferior glume with a shallow median groove or ± flat, with marginal hairs towards the apex; superior glume concave on the back; superior lemma bifid to the middle; awn geniculate, 9–10 mm long; anthers c. 1.5 mm long, straw-coloured.
Perennial to 1.2 m. Leaves linear. Spikelets in 4-20 narrow racemes per spathe, purple, shortly hairy, paired, sessile spikelet awned.
Caespitose perennial; culms up to 110 cm high, erect, branched with slender internodes, yellowish with reddish tinge.
Pedicelled spikelet male, 3.5–4.5 mm long, shortly mucronate.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 1.1 - 1.3
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity 5-8
Soil texture 5-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
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Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Andropogon appendiculatus world distribution map, present in Lesotho, eSwatini, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:387491-1
WFO ID wfo-0000846116
COL ID 66PLP
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Andropogon appendiculatus Leptopogon appendiculatus Sorghum appendiculatum