familyPoaceae
subfamilyPoaceae subfam. Bambusoideae
tribePoaceae tribe Olyreae
genusLithachne
speciesLithachne humilis

Lithachne humilis

Soderstr.
Mary E. Barkworth
Common names: Small lithachne
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 30.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Culms 15-27 cm, erect; nodes 5-6, glabrous, with prominent infra and supranodal ridges. Foliage leaves: sheaths glabrous or puberulent, hairs to 0.2 mm; pseudopetioles 0.7-1 mm; ligules about 0.2 mm, petiolar region sparsely pilose abaxially, hirsute adaxially; blades 2-6 cm long, 0.4-1 cm wide, bases asymmetric, midveins thickened near the base, both surfaces hairy, abaxial surfaces more densely hairy, hairs about 0.2 mm. Pistillate racemes exserted from the lower leaf-sheaths, with 1 spikelet; rachis 8-10 mm, with a thin, rudimentary flap of tissue below the pistillate spikelet. Pistillate spikelets 7.3-9.5 mm, triangular in side view, gibbous; glumes glabrous; lower glumes 5.9-9.5 mm, 7-9-veined; upper glumes 5-7.5 mm, 5-7-veined; florets subtended by a persistent rachilla internode of about 1 mm; lemmas 2.8-3.5 mm, white, glabrous, indurate; paleas slightly shorter than the lemmas, 2-veined, veins inconspicuous; lodicules 3; ovaries with 1 style and 2 plumose style-branches. Staminate racemes 1-4, exserted terminally, extending about 2 cm beyond the subtending leaf-sheath, with 1-2 pairs of unequally pedicellate spikelets, an upper short-pedicellate spikelet and a terminal spikelet. Staminate spikelets 4.2-7.5 mm; glumes absent; lemmas membranous, 3-veined, glabrous; paleas 2-veined; lodicules 3; anthers 3, 3.5-5.4 mm, yellow, almost basifixed. Caryopses brown, gibbous; hila linear. 2n = unknown.

Discussion

Lithachne humilis is endemic to Honduras. It is sold as an ornamental in the United States. Soderstrom (1980) postulated that the flap below the pistillate spikelet is a vestige of a staminate spikelet; the wide-ranging L. pauciflora (Sw.) P. Beauv. has 1-5 staminate spikelets below each of the pistillate spikelets, while the narrow endemics L. pineti (C. Wright ex Griseb.) Chase and L. horizontalis Chase (from eastern Brazil and eastern Cuba, respectively) have no staminate spikelets and no flap of tissue beneath the pistillate spikelets.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Lithachne humilis"
RDF feed
Abaxial ligule presence
absent +
Abaxial ligule quantity
common +
Abaxial surface pubescence
hairy +
Adaxial cell presence
absent +
Adaxial cell shape
bulliform +
Adaxial ligule architecture or pubescence or shape
not +  and ciliate +
Adaxial ligule presence
absent +
Adaxial ligule texture
membranous +
Anther coloration
yellow +
Anther quantity
3 +
Anther some measurement
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.54 cm5.4 mm <br />0.0054 m <br />) +
Apex architecture or shape
asymmetric +
Arm cell anatomy
kranz +
Auricle presence
absent +
Author
Mary E. Barkworth +
Authority
Soderstr. +
Awn atypical quantity
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Awn orientation
arising +
Awn quantity
single +
Back shape
keeled +  and rounded +
Base architecture
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
Base architecture or shape
asymmetric +
Base arrangement
parallel +
Base position
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
Base prominence
evident +
Base shape
cross +
Base size
swelling +
Base texture
hard +
Base width
thick +
Blade arrangement
parallel +
Blade duration
persistent +
Blade length
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
Blade orientation
Downward (?) +
Blade position
adaxial +
Blade shape
folding +, lanceolate +  and ovate +
Blade width
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Bract architecture
bud-bearing +
Bract quantity
2 +
Branch reproduction
vegetative +
Branch shape
spikelike +
Common name
Small lithachne +
Culm architecture
branching +, complex +, solid +  and hollow +
Culm architecture or arrangement or growth form
solitary +
Culm duration
perennial +
Culm growth form
climbing +
Culm growth form or location
floating +
Culm orientation
erect +
Culm reproduction
vegetative +
Culm some measurement
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (27 cm270 mm <br />0.27 m <br />) +
Culm texture
not woody +
Distribution
Puerto Rico +
Embryo size
small +
Endosperm texture
hard +
Filament shape
capillary +
Flap prominence
rudimentary +
Floret architecture
pistillate +  and staminate +
Floret length or size
sometimes longer +
Floret quantity
1 +
Floret reproduction
bisexual +
Floret shape
round +  and compressed +
Glume architecture
several-veined +
Glume architecture or shape
awned +
Glume position
subtending +
Glume presence
absent +
Glume pubescence
glabrous +
Glume quantity
lacking +
Glume size
subequal +
Hair coloration
dark +  and dark spots +
Hair life cycle
mature +
Hair pubescence
glabrous +
Hair shape
non-uncinate +
Hair some measurement
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br />) +
Hilum arrangement or course or shape
linear +
Hilum coloration or relief
punctate +
Illustration
Present +
Illustration copyright
Utah State University +
Illustrator
Cindy Roché +
Inflorescence architecture
spicate +
Inflorescence arrangement
paniculate +
Internode architecture
solid +  and hollow +
Internode presence
absent +
Layer presence
absent +
Leaf architecture
branching +  and complex +
Leaf arrangement
crowded +
Leaf margin arrangement
Overlapping (?) +
Lemma architecture
3-veined +
Lemma architecture or shape
awned +
Lemma coloration
white +
Lemma coloration or reflectance
translucent +
Lemma pubescence
glabrous +
Lemma shape
compressed +  and helmet--shaped +
Lemma some measurement
0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
Lemma texture
membranous +  and indurate +
Ligule presence
absent +
Ligule some measurement
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +
Lodicule architecture or pubescence or shape
ciliate +
Lodicule presence
absent +
Lodicule prominence
inconspicuous +
Lodicule quantity
3 +
Lodicule texture
membranous +
Lower glume architecture
7-9-veined +
Lower glume some measurement
0.59 cm5.9 mm <br />0.0059 m <br /> (0.95 cm9.5 mm <br />0.0095 m <br />) +
Microhair presence
absent +
Midrib architecture
simple +  and complex +
Midvein size or width
thickened +
Node prominence
concealed +  and prominent +
Node pubescence
glabrous +
Node quantity
5 +  and 6 +
Node shape
swollen +
Number of lower taxa
0 +
Other quantity
2 +  and 1 +
Ovary presence
absent +
Ovary pubescence
hairy +  and glabrous +
Palea architecture
2-veined +
Palea development
developed +
Palea height or length or size
slightly shorter +
Palea position
concealing +
Palea shape
keeled +
Pedicel shape
filiform +  and clavate +
Pericarp arrangement
separating +
Pericarp condition or texture
dry +
Pericarp texture
dry +  and fleshy +
Pseudopetiole presence
absent +
Pseudopetiole some measurement
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Raceme architecture
staminate +  and pistillate +
Rachis prominence
evident +
Rachis some measurement
8mm;10mm +
Reference
None +
Ridge quantity
2 +
Sheath architecture
open +
Sheath condition
closed +
Sheath pubescence
puberulent +  and glabrous +
Source xml
https://bibilujan@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-fine-grained-xml.git/src/84153f6d59a0a91d69695978a64cee7560374f8e/V24/V24 26.xml +
Spikelet architecture
staminate +  and pistillate +
Spikelet arrangement
mixed +
Spikelet duration
deciduous +
Spikelet fixation
attached +
Spikelet growth form
dimorphic +
Spikelet quantity
1 +
Spikelet reproduction
unisexual +
Spikelet shape
gibbous +  and triangular +
Spikelet size
much larger +
Spikelet some measurement
0.42 cm4.2 mm <br />0.0042 m <br /> (0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br />) +
Stamen quantity
1 +  and 3 +
Starch-grain architecture
compound +
Style-branch atypical quantity
3 +
Style-branch quantity
1 (?) +
Style-branch shape
plumose +
Style quantity
1 +
Style shape
plumose +
Subsidiary-cell architecture
parallel-sided +
Subsidiary-cell shape
triangular +  and dome--shaped +
Surface pubescence
hairy +
Synonyms
Gramineae +
Taxon family
Poaceae +
Taxon name
Lithachne humilis +
Taxon parent
Lithachne +
Taxon rank
species +
Terminal cell shape
Tapered (?) +
Tissue coloration
hyaline +
Tissue texture
elastic +
Upper glume architecture
5-7-veined +
Upper glume some measurement
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br />) +
Vein presence
absent +
Vein prominence
inconspicuous +
Vein quantity
2 (?) +
Vein shape
cross +
Vein size
major +
Volume
Volume 24 +
Whole organism architecture
stoloniferous +
Whole organism arrangement or pubescence
tufted +
Whole organism duration
perennial +
Whole organism growth form
plant +  and cespitose +
Whole organism growth form or habitat
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
X chromosome quantity
11 +