Poaceae
Agrostis

Agrostis pilgeriana C.E.Hubb.

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1936: 302 (1936)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Rwanda, Kenya (Mt. Kenya). It is a perennial and grows primarily in the montane tropical biome.

Descriptions

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit
Stoloniferous perennial; culms 70–100 cm. high, geniculately ascending from a prostrate base.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades flat, up to 14 cm. long and 3 mm. wide, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Panicle linear to oblong, 10–20 cm. long, loose to moderately dense, the branches scaberulous, slender, spreading or ascending.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets narrowly elliptic, 2.5–3 mm. long, green or purple; glumes persistent, lanceolate, the upper a little shorter than the lower, 1-nerved, scabrid on the keel and sides, acute; lemma broadly elliptic, 1.7 mm. long, sparsely pubescent, finely 5-nerved, truncate and denticulate, awned from two-thirds the way up the back; awn straight, 2–4 mm. long, or some of the spikelets in the panicle awnless; palea almost as long as the lemma; rhachilla scarcely produced.
Habitat
Swampy places in upland bamboo thicket; 2800–3125 m.
Distribution
K4
[FTEA]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Stolons present. Culms decumbent; 7-100 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 4 mm long. Leaf-blades flat; 5-14 cm long; 1-3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; linear, or oblong; loose, or effuse; 10-20 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 2-3 -nate. Panicle branches capillary; scaberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.5-2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 2.5-3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 2.5-3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5-3 mm long; 1.1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface asperulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.2-2.8 mm long; 1.5-1.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.7 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy below. Lemma apex erose; truncate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.6-0.7 way up back of lemma; straight; 2-4 mm long overall; with a straight or slightly twisted column. Palea 0.9 length of lemma; hyaline; 2 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 0.6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear. Endosperm farinose.
Distribution
Africa: west-central tropical and east tropical.
Reference
Aveneae. FTEA.
[GB]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0