Chloris truncata

R. Br.
Common names: Black windmill-grass
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 212.

Plants perennial; stoloniferous. Culms 30-50 cm. Sheaths glabrous; ligules short-ciliate; blades 9-17 cm long, 0.2-0.3 mm wide, without basal hairs, glabrous, sometimes scabrous. Panicles digitate, with 5-13 clearly distinct branches; branches 5-23 cm, spikelet-bearing to the base or within 1 cm of the base, averaging 6 spikelets per cm elsewhere. Spikelets dark-brown to black, with 1 bisexual and 1 (2) staminate floret (s). Lower glumes 1.4-2.3 mm; upper glumes 2.8-4.2 mm; lowest lemmas 1.8-4.5 mm long, 0.2-0.7 mm wide, narrowly elliptic, becoming very dark, often almost black at maturity, sides not grooved, mostly glabrous but the margins appressed-pubescent, sometimes sparsely so, hairs shorter than 1 mm, apices truncate, awned, awns 3.1-16 mm; second florets 1.3-3.5 mm long, 0.5-0.9 mm wide, not inflated, truncate, not or only minutely bilobed, awned, awns 3.1-12.5 mm; anthers about 0.6 mm. Caryopses 1.7-2.2 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, ellipsoid to narrowly obovate, trigonous. 2n = 40.

Distribution

S.C., Calif., Pacific Islands (Hawaii), La.

Discussion

Chloris truncata, like the rather similar C. ventricosa, is an Australian native that has been found near woolen mills in South Carolina and beside a road near Lake Skinner in Riverside County, California. It usually differs from C. ventricosa in having longer panicle branches. Other differences include its very dark, almost black, bisexual lemmas and their usually appressed pubescent margins.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Chloris truncata"
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (?) +
awned +  and truncate +
Mary E. Barkworth +
R. Br. +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
multiple +, , +  and single +
0.31 cm3.1 mm <br />0.0031 m <br /> (1.25 cm12.5 mm <br />0.0125 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
not fused +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
membranous +
not pseudopetiolate +
9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br /> (17 cm170 mm <br />0.17 m <br />) +
usually linear +  and lanceolate occasionally ovate +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
spikelike +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (23 cm230 mm <br />0.23 m <br />) +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br />) +
trigonous +, ellipsoid +  and narrowly obovate +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
triangular +  and dome--shaped +
sometimes longer +
membranous +
Black windmill-grass +
ascending +  and erect +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br />) +
not woody +
S.C. +, Calif. +, Pacific Islands (Hawaii) +  and La. +
not waisted +
capillary +
awned +, bilobed +  and truncate +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
sometimes longer +
not inflated +
reduced +
0.5mm +  and 0.9mm +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
acute +  and acuminate +
unequal +
uncinate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
paniculate +  and racemose +
hollow +  and solid +
not absent +
bilobed +  and entire +
obtuse +  and truncate +
5-veined +, 7-13-veined +  and 1-3-veined +
sometimes longer +
ciliate +  and lacerate +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.23 cm2.3 mm <br />0.0023 m <br />) +
black +  and dark +
0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br />) +
appressed-pubescent +
mucronate +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
dry +  and fleshy +
spikelike +
not grooved +
sessile +  and pedicellate +
dark-brown +  and black +
compressed +
1 +  and 3 +
compound +  and simple +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Chloris truncata +
species +
membranous +
0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (0.42 cm4.2 mm <br />0.0042 m <br />) +
7 (?) +  and 13 (?) +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
dioecious +, monoecious +  and synoecious +
2;several +