Interesting Facts
Description
Genus Oplismenus
Perennials
or annuals
. Culms
trailing
, ascending
from a decumbent
base
, the internodes mostly with a villous
line
adaxial
to the subtending
leaf. Leaf blades ovate
, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, often with cross
veins; ligule a ciliate
membrane
. Inflorescence composed of several unilateral
racemes
spaced along a central axis; racemes elongate
or reduced to fascicles of a few spikelets
, spikelets usually paired
on short pedicels, the lowermost often reduced. Spikelets lanceolate to oblong
, weakly dorsally
or laterally compressed
, florets
2; glumes
subequal
, 1/2-3/4 spikelet length, often pilose
, the lower or both tipped by a viscid
awn
; lower lemma equaling the spikelet, acute to shortly awned
, its palea absent or much reduced; upper lemma papery or subcoriaceous, smooth
and shiny, acute, indistinctly crested
. x = 9.
Five to nine species:throughout the tropics and subtropics; four species (one endemic) in China.
This is a genus of closely related, intergrading species where the number of taxa meriting recognition is still open to doubt.[1]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- (Auct.) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Infraphylum:
Angiospermae
()
- Auct.
- Class:
Spermatopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Commelinidae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Juncanae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Order:
Poales
()
- Small, 1903
- Family:
Gramineae
()
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons., nom. alt.
- Subfamily:
Panicoideae
()
- Tribe:
Paniceae
()
- Genus:
Oplismenus
()
- Palisot de Beauvois, 1810
- Basketgrass
- Specific epithet:
semialatus
- Desv.
- Botanical name: - Oplismenus semialatus Desv.
- Specific epithet:
semialatus
- Desv.
- Genus:
Oplismenus
(
- Tribe:
Paniceae
(
- Subfamily:
Panicoideae
(
- Family:
Gramineae
(
- Order:
Poales
(
- Superorder:
Juncanae
(
- Subclass:
Commelinidae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Angiospermae
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Alloteropsis semialata (R. Br.) Hitchc. • Axonopus semialatus (R. Br.) Hook. F. • Coridochloa semialata (R. Br.) Nees Ex Lindl. • Panicum Semialatum • Panicum semialatum R. Br. • Paspalum Semialatum • Paspalum semialatum (R. Br.) Eyles • Urochloa Semialata • Urochloa semialata (R. Br.) Desv.
Similar Species
Members of the genus Oplismenus
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 6 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
O. africanus (Basket Grass) · O. africanus 'Variegatus' (Variegated Basket Grass) · O. compositus (Running Mountaingrass) · O. hirtellus (Bristle Basketgrass) · O. hirtellus 'Variegatus' (Variegated Basket Grass) · O. undulatifolius (Wavyleaf Basketgrass)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 13, 2012.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 9239763
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15764831
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:50390-3
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 3638533
Footnotes
- Shou-liang Chen & Sylvia M. Phillips "Oplismenus". in Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 500, 501. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
