Oplismenus

Oplismenopsis is a genus of flowering plant, belonging to the Poaceae family. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It comprises 136 described species and of these only 7 accepted.

Description

They are annual or perennial plants; with branched, decumbent and rooting stems; hermaphrodite plants. rounded pods; ligule a ciliated membrane; blades lanceolate to ovate, flattened. Terminal and axillary inflorescences, slender panicles of short, spiciform, unilateral racemes, the spikelets in 2-4 rows along the lower sides of the rachis; spikelets paired, more or less laterally compressed, biconvex, with 2 florets; disarticulation below glumes and below upper floret; glumes subequal, shorter than the spikelet, herbaceous, 3–5-veined, keeled, awned; lower floret sterile; lower lemma enveloping the upper floret; inferior palea absent or small and hyaline; upper floret bisexual, dorsally compressed; upper lemma shorter than lower lemma, coriaceous; lodicules 2; stamens 3; styles 2. Fruit a caryopsis; embryo ca 1/2 caryopsis length, thread ca 2/5 caryopsis length, linear-oblong.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by (Retz.) P.Beauv. and published in Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie 54,169. 1812. The type species is: Oplismenus africanus P. Beauv.

Etymology

The name of the genus derives from the Greek hoplismenos (armed), alluding to the beards.

Accepted species

The following is a list of the species of the genus Oplismenus accepted up to April 2014, arranged alphabetically. For each one, the binomial name followed by the author is indicated, abbreviated according to conventions and uses.

• Oplismenus burmannii (Retz.) P.Beauv.
• Oplismenus compositus (L.) P.Beauv.
• Oplismenus flavicomus Mez
• Oplismenus fujianensis S.L.Chen & Y.X.Jin
• Oplismenus hirtellus (L.) P.Beauv.
• Oplismenus thwaitesii Hook.f.
• Oplismenus undulatifolius Roem.