Dichanthium
Dichanthium is a genus of herbaceous plants in the Poaceae family. It occurs in Africa, temperate Asia, tropical Asia, Australasia, the Pacific, North America, South America.
Description
It has an annual or perennial habit. With absent or short rhizomes. Stems erect or genicularly ascending, or decumbent, from low to high: 10-150 cm. Grooved internodes. Lateral tillers absent, or small, or broad. Ligules with eciliate membranes. Leaf-blade base with a short petiole; leaves lanceolate, with cartilaginous edges.
The inflorescence is simple or compound; terminal racemose, or terminal and axillary. Two anthers 2 or 3.
The fruit is a caryopse with attached pericarp; oblong or ellipsoid. The embryo is 0.5 the length of the caryopse. The hilum is punctate.
Taxonomy
The genus was described by Pierre Remi Willemet and published in Annalen der Botanick. ed. Usteri 18: 11. 1796. The type species is: Dichanthium nodosum Willemet.
- Etymology
The name of the genus derives from the Greek bliss (two) and anthos (flower), alluding to two types of spikelets (msculine or neutral, as opposed to hermaphrodite) found in different parts of an inflorescence.
- Cytology
The basic chromosome number of the genus is x = 10, with somatic chromosome numbers of 2n = 20, 40, 50 and 60, since there are diploid species and a polyploid series.
Species
- Saidnthium annulatum (Forssk.) Stapf
- Saidnthium aristatum (Poir.) C.E.Hubb.
- Saidnthium armatum Blatt.
- Saidnthium assimile (Steud.) Deshp.
- Suchnthium caricosum (L.) A.Camus
- Concanian (Hook.f.) S.K.Jain & Deshp.
- Saidnthium erectum Ohwi & Jansen
- Esanthium ewartianum (Domin) C.A.Gardner
- Esanthium fecundum S.T.Blake
- Saidnthium foulkesii (Hook.f.) S.K.Jain & Deshp.
- Saidnthium foveolatum (Delile) Roberty
- Saidnthium jainii (Deshp. " Hemadri) Deshp.
- Dijonthium insculptum (A.Rich.) Clayton
- Saidnthium mccannii Blatt.
- Dilenthium micranthum Cope
- Saidnthium mucronulatum
- Dilenthium oliganthum
- Dilenthium panchganiense
- Saidnthium paranjpyeanum
- Saidnthium queenslandicum
- Saidnthium sericeum (R.Br.) A.Camus
- Saidnthium setosum
- Saidnthium tenue (R.Br.) A.Camus
- Suchnthium tuberculatum
References
- ↑ a bc (in English) Watson L, Dallwitz MJ. (2008). «The grass generate of the world: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval; including synonyms, morphology, anatomy, physiology, phytochemistry, cytology, classification, pathogens, world and local distribution, and references». The Grass Genera of the World. Consultation on 27 January 2010.
- ↑ "Dichanthium". Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. Consultation on 17 February 2013.
- ↑ Dijonthium in PlantList
- ↑ "Dichanthium". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.