Alloteropsis semialata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Black seed grass
Cockatoo grass
Alloteropsis semialata flowers.jpeg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus: Alloteropsis
Species:
A. semialata
Binomial name
Alloteropsis semialata
Synonyms[1]
  • Panicum semialatum R.Br.
  • Urochloa semialata (R.Br.) Kunth
  • Oplismenus semialatus (R.Br.) Desv.
  • Coridochloa semialata (R.Br.) Nees ex Benth.
  • Axonopus semialatus (R.Br.) Hook.f.
  • Paspalum semialatum (R.Br.) Eyles
  • Bluffia eckloniana Nees
  • Alloteropsis eckloniana (Nees) Hitchc.
  • Alloteropsis distachya J.Presl
  • Aira viatica Griff.
  • Panicum viaticum Griff.
  • Holosetum philippicum Steud.
  • Arundinella schultzii Benth.
  • Panicum philippicum (Steud.) Náves ex Fern.-Vill.
  • Pterochlaena catangensis Chiov.
  • Axonopus maidenianus Domin
  • Alloteropsis homblei Robyns
  • Alloteropsis gwebiensis Stent & J.M.Rattray

Alloteropsis semialata, known commonly as black seed grass, cockatoo grass, donkersaad gras, swartsaadgras, tweevingergras, and isi quinti, is a perennial grass distributed across much of tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Australia, as well as Papuasia and Madagascar.[1][2][3] The genus name Allopteropsis comes from the Greek words "allotrios", meaning "belonging to another", and "opsis", meaning appearance. The specific epithet semialata comes from the Latin "semi" (half) and "ala" (wing), referring to the winged margins of the upper glume.[4]

This plant typically reaches 20-150 centimeters tall, growing from a short, white rhizome.[5] The leaf blades are typically 10-50 centimeters long and 1-10 millimeters wide. The plant produces 2-flowered fertile spikelets.[6]

The species has two subspecies including A. semialata subsp. semialata, which uses the C4 photosynthetic pathway, and A. semialata subsp. eckloniana, which uses the C3 photosynthetic pathway.[7] As the only plant species known to use both pathways, it is an important model for the study of the evolution of photosynthesis.

The species has been found in a polyploid series with diploid, tetraploid, hexaploid, octoploid and dodecaploid individuals.[8]

The seeds of this species are an important component of the wet-season diet of many granivorous finches and parrots. The rhizomes are part of the dry-season diet of some animals.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 519 毛颖草 mao ying cao Alloteropsis semialata (R. Brown) Hitchcock, Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 12: 210. 1909.
  3. ^ Hitchcock, A. S. 1909. Catalogue of the Grasses of Cuba. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 12(6): 183–258, vii–xi
  4. ^ a b "Cockatoo Grass – Alloteropsis semialata | NQ Dry Tropics". Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  5. ^ "Alloteropsis semialata". Cape York Natural Resource Management. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  6. ^ "Alloteropsis semialata | AusGrass2". ausgrass2.myspecies.info. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  7. ^ Gibbs Russell, G. E. (1983). "The taxonomic position of C3 and C4 Alloteropsis semialata (Poaceae) in southern Africa". Bothalia. 14 (2): 205–213.
  8. ^ Liebenberg, E. J. L.; A. Fossey. (November 2001). "Comparative cytogenetic investigation of the two subspecies of the grass Alloteropsis semialata (Poaceae)". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 137 (3): 243–248. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2001.tb01120.x.


Stub icon

This Panicoideae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""