Poaceae
Loudetia

Loudetia simplex (Nees) C.E.Hubb.

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1934: 431 (1934)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa, Madagascar. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pubescent, or woolly; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 30-150 cm long. Culm-nodes pallid, or black; glabrous, or bearded. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 10-30 cm long; 2-5 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; bearing juvenile spikelets at emergence. Panicle open, or contracted; linear to ovate; 10-30 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 8-13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.8-1 mm long; pubescent; 2-toothed.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 8-13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.8-1 mm long; pubescent; 2-toothed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 3-5 mm long; 0.3-0.5 length of spikelet; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 8-13 mm long; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; lanceolate; 8-13 mm long; 3 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 4-7 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; with triangular lobes; with lobes 0.2-1 mm long; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 25-50 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate; thickened. Palea surface scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 2; anther tip smooth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; glabrous. Hilum linear.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean.
Reference
Arundinelleae. FTEA.
[GB]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora Zambesiaca 10:3. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial, the basal leaf-sheaths usually becoming fibrous, typically woolly tomentose but sometimes silky pubescent to glabrecent.
Morphology Culms
Culms 30–150 cm. high.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle 5–30 int. long, linear to narrowly ovate, the branches contracted or loose but seldom markedly whorled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 8–14 mm. long, glabrous or tuberculate-setose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Inferior glume obtuse; superior glume and inferior lemma obtuse to acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma
Superior lemma bidentate with teeth 0.2–1 mm. long.
Superior
Superior lemma bidentate with teeth 0.2–1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Callus
Callus 0.8–1 mm. long, narrowly oblong, 2-toothed.
[FZ]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial 0·3–1·6 m. high
Ecology
A common grass on shallow soils.
[FWTA]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial; culms 30–150 cm. high, usually erect, the nodes yellowish to black and glabrous to bearded; basal leaf-sheaths usually becoming fibrous, typically woolly tomentose but sometimes silky pubescent to glabrescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades linear, flat or convolute, rarely filiform, 10–30 cm. long, 2–5 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle linear to narrowly ovate, 10–30 cm. long, contracted or loose, the branches seldom markedly whorled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets narrowly lanceolate, 8–13 mm. long, light to dark brown, mostly glabrous but sometimes setose from dark tubercles; lower glume ovate-elliptic, usually 1/3 as long as the spikelet and broadly obtuse but sometimes 1/2 as long and narrowly obtuse; upper glume lanceolate, as long as the spikelet, obtuse; lower lemma similar to the upper glume; upper lemma 4–7 mm. long, pubescent, acutely bidentate (lobes 0.2–1 mm. long); awn 2.5–5 cm. long; callus narrowly oblong, 0.8–1 mm. long, 2-toothed; stamens 2.
Figures
Fig. 114.
Habitat
Deciduous bushland, wooded grassland, rocky hillsides and shallow soils, seasonally waterlogged soils; 1000–2600 m.
Distribution
tropical and South Africa, and Madagascar K2 K3 K5 K6 T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 U2 U3
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0