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  1. Family: Poaceae Barnhart
    1. Genus: Pentameris P.Beauv.

      1. Pentameris velutina (H.P.Linder) Galley & H.P.Linder

        This species is accepted, and its native range is Cape Prov.

    [GB]
    Habit
    Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb; light brown; villous. Glands elongated. Culms 30-60 cm long; 3 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades convolute; 18 cm long; 1 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute.
    Inflorescences
    Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 100 fertile spikelets. Panicle open; ovate; 9-18 cm long; 6-11 cm wide. Panicle branches glabrous in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 1-1.5 length of fertile spikelet; glandular.
    Spikelets
    Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 12-15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; pubescent.
    Fertile
    Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 12-15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; pubescent.
    Glume
    Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; shiny; gaping. Lower glume elliptic; 12-15 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; yellow; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface puberulous to villous; hairy generally, or below. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume elliptic; 12-15 mm long; 3.5-4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; yellow; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface puberulous to villous; hairy generally, or below. Upper glume apex acuminate.
    Florets
    Fertile lemma oblong; 3-4 mm long; membranous; without keel; 5-9 -veined. Lemma surface villous; hairy on veins. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lobes 0.3 mm long; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 20-25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Lateral lemma awns arising on inner edge of lobes; 9-13 mm long; exserted; shorter than principal. Palea surface pubescent; hairy above.
    Flowers
    Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy; glabrous. Anthers 3; 2.5 mm long; brown.
    Fruits
    Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
    Distribution
    Africa: south.
    Reference
    Arundineae. Linder.

    Distribution

    Native to:

    Cape Provinces

    Pentameris velutina (H.P.Linder) Galley & H.P.Linder appears in other Kew resources:

    Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
    Linder, H.P. [4791], South Africa Pentaschistis velutina K000719318
    Linder [4441], South Africa Pentaschistis velutina K000719316
    DuToit, P.C.V. [1688], South Africa Pentaschistis velutina K000719317

    First published in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 97: 336 (2010)

    Literature

    Kew Backbone Distributions
    • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

    Sources

    GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

    Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
    'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

    Kew Backbone Distributions
    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

    Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0