Dichanthelium

Dichanthelium is a genus of herbaceous plants belonging to the Poaceae family. It is native to America.

Almost all the species have been included in the genus Panicum.

Description

They are tussock perennials, often with a basal rosette of short, broad blades in early growth; stems simple to profusely branched at middle and upper nodes and later in the growing season, then generally producing reduced panicles with mostly cleistogamous spikelets; hermaphrodite plants. rounded pods; ligule absent, a ciliated membrane or reduced to a row of cilia; blades linear to ovate. Inflorescence one panicle, the terminal ones mostly exserted, chasmogamous, the axillary ones often only partly exsert, usually at least partly cleistogamous; spikelets ellipsoid to obovoid, awnless, with 2 florets; disarticulation below glumes; glumes unequal, lower usually 1/4–3/5 length of spikelet, enervia or 1 (–3)-veined, membranaceous, upper glume and lower lemma similar, herbaceous, almost as long as spikelet or lower lemma slightly shorter; lower floret generally sterile, rarely staminate, upper floret bisexual, leathery, shiny, glabrous; lodicules 2; stamens 3, purplish; stigmas 2, purplish. Fruit a caryopsis, embryo 1/3–1/2 the length of the caryopsis; dotted thread.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by (Hitchc. & Chase) Gould and published in Brittonia 26(1): 59. 1974. The type species is: Dichanthelium dichotomum (L.) Gould.

Cytology

The number of the base of the chromosome, x = 9. 2n = 18 (mostly), or 36 (occasionally).

Species

• List of species of Dijonthelium

It comprises 102 described species and of these, only two accepted:

• Plonthelium chaperone Zuloaga
• Saidnthelium cumbucana (Renvoize) Zuloaga