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Panicum Linn., Sp. Pl. 1:55. 1753. Blatter & McCann, Bombay Grasses 155. 1935; Bor, Fl. Assam 5:222. 1940; Sultan & Stewart, Grasses W. Pak. 1:23. 1958; Bor, Grasses Burma Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 319. 1960; Bor in Towns., Guest & Al-Rawi, Fl. Iraq 9: 486; Bor in Rech. f., Fl. Iran. 70:468. 1970; Tzvelev, Poaceae URSS 656. 1976; Clayton in Tutin et al., Fl. Eur. 5:261. 1980.
Annuals or perennials. Leaf-blades rolled or flat, linear to ovate; ligule a ciliate rim or a line of hairs, rarely a distinct membrane or absent. Inflorescence a panicle, usually much branched but occasionally contracted about the primary branches. Spikelets usually ovate to elliptic; glumes hyaline to membranous, usually the lower shorter than, and the upper as long as the spikelet; lower floret male or sterile, its lemma usually resembling the upper glume, with or without a palea; upper lemma ± as long as the spikelet, crustaceous, clasping only the margins of the palea. Caryopsis ± ellipsoid, dorsally compressed.
A genus of about 600 species in tropical and warm temperate regions; 15 species are recorded from Pakistan of which 7 are probably native, 3 are established aliens and 5 are found only in cultivation.
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| 1 |
Upper lemma faintly or strongly rugulose |
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(2) |
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Upper lemma smooth and shining |
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(3) |
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| 2 (1) |
Nodes bearded; ligule 4-6 mm long; spikelets usually pubescent (in Pakistan) |
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Panicum maximum |
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Nodes glabrous; ligule up to 2 mm long; spikelets glabrous; in cultivation only |
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Panicum plenum |
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| 3 (1) |
Spikelets 4-5.5 mm long |
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(4) |
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Spikelets up to 3.5 mm long |
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(5) |
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| 4 (3) |
Leaf-sheaths hairy; spikelets persistent; lower glume acuminate, half to three-quarters the length of the spikelet; annual |
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Panicum miliaceum |
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Leaf-sheaths glabrous; spikelets deciduous, lower glume almost as long as the spikelet; glaucous woody
perennial |
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Panicum turgidum |
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| 5 (3) |
Lower glume cuspidate-acuminate, spikelets widely
gaping at maturity |
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Panicum trypheron |
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Lower glume not cuspidate acuminate and spikelets not gaping at maturity |
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(6) |
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| 6 (5) |
Spikelets narrowly lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute |
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(7) |
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Spikelets oblong, ovate-oblong or elliptic, acute or obtuse |
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(8) |
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| 7 (6) |
Culms soft, spongy; spikelets narrowly lanceolate;
leaf-blades broad, flat |
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Panicum paludosum |
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Culms firm, not spongy; spikelets lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate; leaf-blades narrow, often involute |
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Panicum repens |
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| 8 (6) |
Lower glume a quarter to half the length of the spikelet; margins of glumes herbaceous |
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(9) |
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Lower glume half to three-quarters the length of the spikelet, if shorter then plant perennial with margins of glumes broadly membranous |
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(13) |
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| 9 (8) |
Annuals |
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(10) |
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Perennials |
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(12) |
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| 10 (9) |
Panicle branches and branchlets capillary, the spikelets on long fine pedicels; entire inflorescence deciduous at maturity |
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Panicum capillare |
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Panicle branches and branchlets stouter; inflorescence remaining attached to the plant, only the spikelets falling |
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(11) |
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| 11 (10) |
Spikelets deciduous, 2-3 mm long; panicle effuse;
wild grass |
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Panicum psilopodium |
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Spikelets plump, subpersistent, 2-3.5 mm long;
panicle contracted; cultivated grass |
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Panicum sumatrense |
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| 12 (9) |
Culms erect, caespitose; leaves mostly confined to a basal tuft, up to 5 mm wide; cultivated grass |
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Panicum stapfianum |
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Culms decumbent; leaves not confined to a basal tuft, up to 15 mm wide; cultivated grass |
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Panicum coloratum |
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| 13 (8) |
Perennial; margins of glumes broadly membranous; fruit pallid |
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Panicum antidotale |
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Annual; margins of glumes herbaceous |
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(14) |
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| 14 (13) |
Fruit brown |
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Panicum atrosanguineum |
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Fruit pallid |
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Panicum walense |
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List of lower taxa
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Treatments in Other Floras @ www.efloras.org
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