Code
ACQAM
Growth form
Grass
Biological cycle
Annual
Habitat
Aquatic
Acroceras amplectens Stapf
synonym | Acroceras basicladum Stapf |
synonym | Neohusnotia amplectens (Stapf) C.C.Hsu |
synonym | Panicum amplectens (Stapf) Pilg., nom. illeg. |
synonym | Panicum bandunduense Vanderyst, nom. provis. |
synonym | Panicum zizanioides var. angustatum A.Chev., nom. nud. |
No Data |
Global description
Acroceras amplectens is an annual herb with thin, branched stems rooted at the lower nodes, forming loose tufts. It is a grass of modest size that reaches 1 m in height. The closely linear-lanceolate leaves are spaced on the stem. The ligule is not very visible, replaced by a line of hair. The terminal inflorescence is composed of simple, widely spaced branches with spikelets grouped by 2 regularly distributed along its axis. Spikelets are lanceolate. They are composed of a neutral flower and a fertile flower.
General habit
Annual branched grass, with spreading stems then straightened forming loose tufts. It measures 30 cm to 1 m in height.
Underground system
The roots are fasciculate, originating from the lower nodes.
Culm
The culm is thin and slender, of rounded section, glabrous. It is procumbent and ramifies to the lower nodes where it is rooted.
Leaf
The leaves are simple and alternate. The sheath has tubercle hairs at its base and a ciliated margin. The ligule is not very visible, reduced to a fringe of short eyelashes. The blade is linear to linear-lanceolate, broad-based, rounded, embracing the stem, with pointed tapered end. It is 4 to 20 cm long and 3 to 10 mm wide. It is flat, scabrous on the upper surface, glabrous on the underside, with cartilaginous margin and scabrous.
Inflorescence
The erect inflorescence is 10 to 30 cm tall. Its axis is triqueter and glabrous. It is composed of 2 to 6 linear racemes widely spaced which measure from 3 to 12 cm long.
Spikelet
The spikelets are grouped by 2 on a developed pedicel. They are lanceolate, 4.5 to 6 mm long, glabrous, pale green in color. The membranous glumes are keeled on the back and have a ridge at their apex. They are hairless, greenish in color. The lower glume is 3 to 3.5 mm long. It is slightly scabrid at the top and marked with 3 veins. The upper glume, the same length as the spikelet is marked with 5 ribs. The spikelet is made of 2 flowers. The lower flower is neutral. The upper flower is fertile, with somewhat leathery, smooth, whitish lemmas. The stamens are 3 in number.
Grain
The grain is oblong, slightly convex.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Characters to distinguish Acroceras species
Spikelet | Leaf blade | Base of the lamina | Ligule | Species |
Keeled | linear, 5 mm width | clasping | nothing or hair line | A. amplectens |
Keeled | lanceolate, 20 mm width | rounded contracted | short membrano ciliate | A. zizanioides |
Not keeled | lanceolate elliptical, 10-40 mm width | attenuated in pseudo petiole | membraneous | A. gabunense |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Acroceras amplectens is a plant of damp places and shallow waters.
Cameroon: Grows in humid places, shallow waters and rice fields in the Sudanian and Sahelo-Sudanian regions.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Worldwide distribution
Acroceras amplectens is a common species in tropical Africa (Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Zaire, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo).
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local harmfulness
Benin: rare and scanty.
Burkina Faso: rare but abundant when it is present.
Cameroon: common weed in rice fields in the Far North region.
Ghana: frequent and generally abundant.
Mali: rare and scanty.
Senegal: rare but abundant when it is present.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
- Poilecot, P. 1999. Les Poaceae du Niger. Conservatoire et jardin botaniques de Genève, Genève, Suisse.
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1972. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
- Johnson, D.E. 1997. Les adventices en riziculture en Afrique de l'Ouest. ADRAO/WARDA, Bouaké, Côte-d'Ivoire.
- Grard, P., et al. (2012). AFROweeds V.1.0: African weeds of rice Montpellier, France & Cotonou, Bénin, Cirad-AfricaRice eds.
- Poilecot, P. 1999. Les Poaceae du Niger. Conservatoire et jardin botaniques de Genève, Genève, Suisse.
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1972. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
- Johnson, D.E. 1997. Les adventices en riziculture en Afrique de l'Ouest. ADRAO/WARDA, Bouaké, Côte-d'Ivoire.
- Grard, P., et al. (2012). AFROweeds V.1.0: African weeds of rice Montpellier, France & Cotonou, Bénin, Cirad-AfricaRice eds.
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Acroceras%2520amplectens
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Liliopsida |
Order | Poales |
Family | Poaceae |
Genus | Acroceras |
Species | Acroceras amplectens Stapf |