Leptochloa chloridiformis

(Hack.) Parodi
Common names: Argentine sprangletop
Introduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 54.

Plants perennial. Culms 60-200; cm, erect, compressed, unbranched; internodes hollow. Sheaths pubescent; ligules 0.5-1 mm, shortly ciliate; blades 25-50 cm long, 2.8-5.5 mm wide, ascending to reflexed, adaxial surfaces usually sparsely pilose behind the ligules, other¬wise both surfaces glabrous. Panicles to 53 cm, with 5-20 digitate branches; secondary panicles not present in the lower sheaths; branches 7-17 cm, steeply ascending but drooping at the apices. Spikelets 4.5-5 mm, imbricate, green to straw-colored, with 3-4 florets. Glumes ovate, acute; lower glumes 1.3-2.6 mm; upper glumes 2.2-3.7 mm; lemmas 2.8-3.8 mm, lanceolate to ovate, chartaceous, lateral-veins sericeous, apices acute to slightly obtuse, minutely emarginate, mucronate; paleas ciliolate over the veins; anthers 1, 0.4-0.6 mm. Caryopses 0.9-1.8 mm long, 0.3-0.4 mm wide, triangular in cross-section. 2n = unknown.

Discussion

Leptochloa chloridiformis is native to Uruguay, southern Paraguay, and northern Argentina. It was introduced in the early part of the twentieth century but has not become established in the Flora region. The only known collections are from Cameron County, Texas, the most recent having been made in the 1940s.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Leptochloa chloridiformis"
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
mucronate +, acute +  and slightly obtuse +
Neil Snow +
(Hack.) Parodi +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
multiple +, , +  and single +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
not fused +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
membranous +
not pseudopetiolate +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br />) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
usually linear +  and lanceolate occasionally ovate +
0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br />) +
drooping;ascending +
spikelike +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (17 cm170 mm <br />0.17 m <br />) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
triangular +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br />) +
triangular +  and dome--shaped +
sometimes longer +
membranous +
Argentine sprangletop +
compressed +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (250 cm2,500 mm <br />2.5 m <br />) +
not woody +
not waisted +
capillary +
not disarticulating +
sometimes longer +
3 +  and 4 +
round +  and compressed +
reduced +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
acute +  and ovate +
subequal +  and unequal +
membranous +
uncinate +
paniculate +  and racemose +
not absent +
lanceolate +  and ovate +
0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (0.38 cm3.8 mm <br />0.0038 m <br />) +
membranous +
sometimes longer +
obtuse +  and attenuate +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
subequal +
membranous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (53 cm530 mm <br />0.53 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
spikelike +
Introduced +
green +  and straw-colored +
1 +  and 60 +
rounded +  and slightly keeled +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
compound +  and simple +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Leptochloa chloridiformis +
Leptochloa +
species +
membranous +
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.37 cm3.7 mm <br />0.0037 m <br />) +
7 (?) +  and 13 (?) +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
dioecious +, monoecious +  and synoecious +