20.04 KARROOCHLOA Conert & Türpe
Plants annual or perennial; cespitose,
stoloniferous or rhizomatous. Culms 4-40 cm. Sheaths open; ligules
of hairs; blades to 2 mm wide, flat, rolled, or involute. Inflorescences
terminal, contracted panicles, 0.5-6 cm. Spikelets 4-8 mm, laterally compressed,
with 3-7 florets; disarticulation above the glumes. Glumes subequal,
3.5-7 mm, equaling or exceeding the florets, 3-5(7)-veined; calluses with
lateral tufts of hairs; lemmas pubescent and/or with fringes, rows, or
tufts of hair, 9-veined, awned from between the 2 apical lobes or teeth, awns
twisted and geniculate; paleas 2-veined; lodicules 2, pubescent;
anthers 3; ovaries glabrous. Caryopses about 1 mm; hila
short. x = 6. Name from the Karroo region of South Africa and the Greek
chloa, grass.
Karroochloa is a southern African genus of four species.
SELECTED REFERENCE Conert,
H.J. and A.M.
Türpe. 1969. Karroochloa, ein neue Gattung der Gramineen
(Poaceae, Arundinoideae, Danthonieae). Senckenberg. Biol. 50:289-318.
1. Karroochloa purpurea (L. f.) Conert & Türpe
Plants perennial; densely cespitose, shortly rhizomatous. Culms
6-25 cm. Sheaths mostly glabrous, sparsely hispid near the throat; blades
to 4 cm long, to 1 mm wide, rolled, falcate to curled, pilose or hispid. Panicles
0.5-2 cm, subcapitate; pedicels mostly shorter than or equaling the spikelets.
Spikelets 4-8 mm, with 3-6 florets. Glumes glabrous or scabrous,
dark purple fading to brown; lemma bodies (1.3)1.5-2 mm, with tufts of
hairson the lower portion and in a transverse row below the sinus, apical teeth
1-2 mm; awns (2)3.5-5.5 mm; anthers 1.7-2.2 mm. Caryopses
about 0.8 mm. 2n = 12.
Karroochloa purpurea was grown in the grass garden of the University of
California, Berkeley. There is no evidence that it has become established in the
Flora region.