Corresponding author: Robert J. Soreng (
Academic editor: M. Muasya
Four species of
Soreng RJ, Sylvester SP, Sylvester MDPV, Clark VR (2020) New records and key to
The genus
There is a strong association of FSA
Although the FSA
From February-March 2020, a comprehensive survey of
Accordingly, here we present:
Details on these new records to FSA;
An updated key for the
Taxonomic notes on
Extensive field collecting was conducted by SPS, RJS and MDPVS throughout the
Four new species records are presented for the FSA:
The following presents a key to all the
1 | Plants with bulbous-based vegetative shoots; flowering shoots usually producing leafy bulbils within spikelets which may or may not have somewhat normal appearing floret proximally or occasionally throughout some spikelets (rarely all spikelets normal-flowered within a plant) |
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2 | Ligules of lowest leaves mostly (0.8‒)1‒2 mm long, as long or longer than wide, apically obtuse to acute, usually smooth, rarely a lightly scabrous; ligules of bulbil leaflets decurrent along sheathlet margins; longest blades of basal tufts mostly less than 4 cm long; sheaths usually smooth, rarely sparsely hispidulous; prophylls proximally retrorsely scabrous, distally mixed directionally; callus of quite normal lemmas with a dorsal tuft of hairs; panicles more or less tightly contracted. |
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2' | Ligules of lowest leaves < 1 mm long, shorter than wide, apically truncate to obtuse, no longer than broad, abaxially usually more or less scabrous or strigulose; ligules of bulbil leaflets not decurrent along sheathlet margins; longest blades of basal tufts mostly 4‒15 cm long; sheaths and blades of lowest leaves abaxially sometimes obscurely strigulose to hispidulous; prophylls antrorsely scabrous; callus of (rare) normal lemmas glabrous; panicles more or less loosely contracted |
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1' | Plants without bulbous bases; flowering shoots producing normal spikelets (rarely with bulbils in a few spikelets or inflorescences) |
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3 | Annuals; branches, spikelet bracts smooth, palea keels softly villous/pilose; anthers 0.2‒1 mm long (those of the uppermost florets, often sterile rudiments); floret callus glabrous; lemmas usually softly villous at least on the keel and marginal veins |
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4 | Anthers 0.2‒0.5(‒0.55) mm long; panicle branches ascending, spikelets crowded; lemmas usually prominently villous on 5 veins; leaves light green; spring ephemerals |
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4' | Anthers (0.55‒)0.6‒1 mm long; panicle branches ascending to spreading, spikelets more loosely arranged; lemmas prominently villous on 3 or 5 veins; leaves darker green; spring ephemerals to long lasting annuals |
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3' | Perennials; branches smooth or scabrous, spikelet bracts distally scabrous at least along keels; anthers 0.5‒3 mm long; callus glabrous or with a dorsal tuft of hairs separated from those on the lemma keel (webbed) and usually longer than those (hairs sometimes a bit diffuse on the callus in |
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5 | Lemma intermediate veins faint (sometimes distinct in |
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6 | Plants strongly rhizomatous, shoots mostly isolated; culms and nodes strongly compressed (cannot roll them between your fingers), often geniculate proximally with lower nodes exposed; ligules truncate to obtuse to 2 mm long; uppermost leaf blades shorter than their sheaths |
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6' | Plants tufted or a bit loose with some basal branching; culms and nodes round (easily rolled between your fingers), not geniculate except at very base with lower nodes sometimes covered by their sheaths; ligules truncate 0.2‒0.8 (‒1) mm long; uppermost leaf blades usually longer than their sheaths |
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5' | Lemma intermediate veins distinct, sometimes quite pronounced; sheath margins of upper culm leaves fused > ¼ the length; some or many shoots vegetative (non-reproductive) in a given season, all shoots extravaginal with cataphylls and rudimentary prophylls at shoot junctures or some or all shoots intravaginal with well-developed prophylls at shoot junctures; first glumes 1- or 3-veined |
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7 | Anthers 0.5‒1 mm long; panicles contracted in age, branches appressed, longest branches sometimes shorter than their axis internodes, spikelets crowded, (2.1‒)3‒4.5(‒6) mm long, usually with 50 or more spikelets per panicle; florets glabrous or sericeous on keel and marginal veins and sometimes between them; callus glabrous or webbed; plants small tufted, sometimes straggling, without rhizomes; leaf blades flat, tender |
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7' | Anthers (0.8‒)1‒3 mm long; panicles loosely contracted to open in age, longest branches as long or longer than their axis internodes, spikelets crowded or dispersed, 2.5‒6(‒7) mm long, with 20 to 100+ spikelets per panicle; florets glabrous or variously sericeous to villous on keel and marginal veins; callus glabrous or webbed; plants small to large (broad) tufted or loosely tufted, sometimes sprawling or straggling, with or without rhizomes |
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8 | Ligules as long as wide or longer than wide, acute to acuminate, upper culm ones 4‒6(‒8) mm long; callus webbed; lemmas prominently 5-veined, sericeous on the keel, marginal veins glabrous or sericeous proximally for less than ¼ the length; first glume 1-veined, often sickle shaped; sheaths more or less retrorsely scaberulous; plants small tufted, erect to sprawling or straggling and somewhat stooling; leaf blades flattish, tender, dark green; anthers (0.8‒)1‒1.8 mm long |
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8' | Ligules shorter than wide, mostly truncate to obtuse, upper culm ones 0.5‒2(‒3) mm long; callus glabrous or webbed; lemmas distinctly to prominently 5-veined, glabrous to sericeous or villous on the keel and marginal vein and sometimes between them; first glume 1- or 3-veined, lanceolate; sheaths smooth or retorsely scaberulous or strigulose; plants small to large tufted or loosely spreading with isolated culms and vegetative shoots, erect, rhizomatous or not; leaf blades flat or more often V-shaped or folded, tender or firm; bluish to dark green; normal anthers 1.4‒3 mm long |
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9 | Lemmas glabrous or variously sericeous, to villous as above, sometimes with hairs on the intermediate veins and between the veins; callus glabrous, with a dorsal web or hairs slightly diffused dorsally; plants without or with some short rhizomes, forming small to large (broad) tussocks; basal sheaths more or less fibrous in age (often burned); leaf blades all alike; blades adaxially glabrous, somewhat thick with thick margins; first glume 3-veined; anthers 1.5‒3 mm long, often sterile/rudimentary in upper flowers of spikelets or sometimes in all spikelets, particularly so in the lower spikelets of a panicle |
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9' | Lemmas villous on the keel and marginal veins only; callus with a prominent dorsal web; plants strongly rhizomatous, forming small tufts, turf or with isolated flowering and vegetative shoots; basal sheaths not fibrous in age; leaf blades all alike or dimorphic, with long slender vegetative leaves and shorter broader culm leaves; blades adaxially glabrous or often with few to many strigulose hairs, not noticeably thick with thick margins; first glume 1- or 3-veined; anthers 1.4‒2.5 mm long, infrequently some aborted in age. | |
10 | Leaf blades all more or less alike in form, mostly 1.5‒3 mm wide, mostly flat or folded; collars often ciliolate on the margins, hairs sometimes extending down the sheath margins and sometimes the upper surfaces; first glume (1-)3-veined |
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10' | Leaf blades of two forms, vegetative blades slender and elongated, ca. 0.5–1 mm wide as folded or involute, culm blades shorter and broader and flatter; collars and sheaths usually glabrous; first glume 1- or 3-veined |
For full explanation of genotype coding in
Habitat in Europa ad vias. (lectotype, designated by Soreng 2020: 254: LINN (LINN-87.17!, right-hand plant)).
‒
widespread in Lesotho and South Africa. Introduced, native to Eurasia and North Africa, now worldwide.
weedy in temperate climates.
anytime.
common, a pesky garden, lawn and trail weed of little consequence.
[South Africa. Eastern Cape:] In montibus inter Katrivier et Klipplaatarivier flumina locis graminocis et paludosis alt. 4000–5000' [1219–1525 m], atque in monte Los Tafelberg. alt. 6000' [1829 m], Drège s.n. (lectotype, “9/11 32. [9 Nov 1832] Sumpf auf Gras[flächen {or} plätzen?].auf dem Katberg, 4000–5000' [1219–1525 m], | af (I af.” {original Drège ticket}, {second ticket:} “&. c. 389b |
– sect. unplaced.
Lesotho, South Africa, reaching Zimbabwe. Native, endemic to southern Africa.
cool temperate grasslands.
December to March.
common, an important component of high elevation grasslands.
The species exhibits a diclinous breeding system. Most species of
The lectotype at P is selected as it is one of two sheets with Drège’s original handwritten location and date, the other original set of tickets being destroyed (
…. 7/12 32. [7 Dec 1932] Unter den Hängen vom Los-Tafelberg, 5000–6000' [1524–1829 m], | b (I af. {original Drège label} (syntype, P000434747 [image!])
…. “
…. “
…. “
…. “
…. “
…. “
[Germany. Mainz:] Prope Moguntiam in arenosis (specimen not found).
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native to Eurasia and northwest Africa. Introduced/possibly arrived via long-distance-dispersal, but that seems unlikely for the bulbils are bulky and have no special dispersal mechanisms.
hemicryptophyte, geophyte, with bulbous based shoots that store hemi-cellulose. Well-adapted to temperate climates with winter rains and dry summers.
winter and spring green, flowering in mid-spring and quickly going dormant, flowers mostly forming bulbils. Apomictic.
common, excellent early spring forage for sheep, but invasive and can become dominant.
no new records.
All the specimens reviewed at
Habitat in Europae and Americae septentrionalis (lectotype, designated by Soreng in 2000: 255: LINN (LINN-87.41!)).
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Lesotho, Sehlabathebe N. P., South Africa EC. Introduced, pan-boreal native of Eurasia, NW Africa and North America.
wet grasslands at high elevations.
summer and autumn.
infrequent, useful for soil stabilisation in wet soils.
First reports for South Africa and Lesotho. Apparently, it is well established in the southern Drakensberg, where it was collected previously in 1959 and three times since. At
Turkey. Anatolia centralis [Lycaonia:] Mont Hagios [‘Agios’ on G isotypes] Philippos, pres de Konia, 30 Apr 1913, B.V.D. Post (lectotype, designated here: Post B 53, E (E00367667!); isolectotypes: G (G00308664 [image!], G00386674 [image!])).
– sect. unplaced.
Cape Province, mainly Asia Minor and SW Europe. Introduced rare in South Africa, originating from Asia Minor and SW Europe.
similar to
Spring.
One collection site known from 2007, likely more common by now, good spring forage, but potentially invasive.
First report for the African continent and South Africa and Lesotho.
Colombia. Crescit in frigidis regni Novogranatensis, inter Fonibon, Suba et Santa Fe de Bogota, 1360 hexap. [2448 m], floret. Aug,
Introduced to the FSA region and found in Namibia and the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Native to the Mediterranean Sea region of Europe, North Africa and western Asia.
ruderal.
early spring.
infrequent, insignificant.
First report for South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
Ethiopia. [Tigray:] Crescit in montibus prope Cojeta, provinciae Schire, [et in regno Choa (ant. Petit)], 16 Oct 1840, G.H.W. Schimper 1826 (first-step lectotype, designated by
– sect. unplaced
for the FSA region, found in Lesotho and the Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa. Native, endemic to and widespread mainly in the mountains of tropical eastern Africa and adjacent Arabian Peninsula.
wet places in high Maloti-Drakensberg.
around July.
rare, insignificant.
no new records.
Habitat in Europa ad radices montium umbrosas, (lectotype, designated by Soreng in
‒
Lesotho, Sehlabathebe National Park. Presumably introduced, native to Eurasia and northwest Africa.
bases of basaltic cliffs and shady high-elevation slopes.
late summer, early autumn.
rare, little potential in the region.
This is the first report of
Russia. Prov. Sanct-Petersburg: 5 km australi-occidentum, 26 June 1997, N.N. Tzvelev N-257 (conserved type, designated by
‒
widespread in Lesotho and South Africa. Introduced, mainly from European sources, native and widespread in Eurasia (also native in part in North America) and now around the world.
cool temperate to subarctic, mesic habitats.
late spring early summer, to late summer at high elevations.
There are three major subspecies recognised in
Sweden. Upsaliae, Ehrhart 115 (lectotype, designated by
possibly frequent but rarely collected, often seeded for lawns and soil stabilisation.
Sometimes passing under other names:
frequent, often seeded for lawns, pastures and soil stabilisation, mainly as the “field form” in subsp.
Subspecies
Habitat in Europae pascuis, no date, Hudson 16 (neotype, designated by Soreng in
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South Africa, Gautan Province. Introduced, native to western Eurasia and North Africa, introduced to sub-Saharan Africa in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
ruderal of temperate climates.
spring.
rarely collected. Sometimes seeded for pastures, invasive.
We wish to gratefully thank Nanjing Forestry University (China) and the University of the Free State: Afromontane Research Unit (South Africa) for financial and logistical support; Caroline Mashau, Lyn Fish and