Bewsia biflora

Bewsia is a monotypic genus of herbaceous plants in the Poaceae family. Its only species: Bewsia biflora (Hack.) Gooss., is native to South Africa and southern tropical Africa.

Description

They are perennial plants; tussocks (with short, creeping rhizomes) Culms 26-93 cm tall; herbaceous; 0.2 cm in diameter; not branched above. Culms at nodes glabrous. Culm internodes solid. Disarmed plants. Intravaginal young shoots. Leaves mostly basal; not auriculate; no ear setae (but hairy at the mouth of the scabbard and on the underside of the blade). Blades linear to linear-lanceolate; narrow; 5mm wide; flat or coiled (margins become involutes under water stress); without abaxial multicellular glands; no cross rib. Ligule a minutely ciliolate, truncated membrane; 0.3mm long. Bisexual plants with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite flowers. The spikelets all alike in sexuality. Inflorescence of the main spiked branches (these adpressed to the central axis). Branches of the primary inflorescence about 10-15.

Taxonomy

Bewsia biflora was described by (Hack. ex Schinz) Gooss. and published in South African Journal of Science 37: 184. 1941.

Etymology

Cytology

The number of chromosomes is: 2n = 30.

Sinonimia

• Diplachne biflora Hack.
• Avenastrum flabellatum Peter
• Diplachne biflora var. buchananii Stapf