Spinifex (genus)

Spinifex longifolius

Spinifex is occurring primarily in Australia genus of grasses ( Poaceae ).

• 4.1 Notes and references

Features

The representatives are stout, perennial plants. They are dioecious. They have highly branched, extensive stolons. They can also form clumps. The leaf sheaths are loose and open. The ligule is a ciliated border. The leaf blade is long, often silky hairy.

Inflorescence

Male and female inflorescences are designed very differently. The male are hemispherical, the female spherical. Both consist of bundles of grapes, which are in the axils of long contract sheet-like bracts. The individual grapes are in the axils of small bracts zweikieligen. The grapes of the male plants are stalked, carry several spikelets and end in short bristles. The grapes of the female plants bear only a spikelets near the base, the rachis of grape is extended into a long bristle. The spikelets are two flowered, rarely flowered.

Male spikelets

The glumes are half as long as the spikelet, unequal and three to nine annoying. They are ovate -oblong, entire and glabrous or hairy. The lemmas of the upper and lower flowers are similar to three -to seven- annoying, lanceolate, leathery, glabrous or hairy. The palea are similar to lemmas, but still significantly zweikielg. The Lodiculae are small, broadly ovate, toothed. Each flower has three stamens. An ovary rudiment is present.

Female spikelets

The glumes are about the same length as the spikelet, three to nine annoying, oval to lanceolate, entire, glabrous or hairy. The lemmas of the upper and lower bloom may be identical or different, have three or no nerves and are bald. The lower flower has sometimes no palea, the Lodiculae are small. The three stamens are usually small and rudimentary, rarely they form pollen. In the upper flower the palea is similar to the lemma, the Lodiculae are larger. The three stamens are longer and rarely forming pollen. The apex of the ovary is bald and wears long scar.

The caryopsis is enclosed in the hardened husks, but not fused with it. The embryo is large, the point-shaped scar.

Dissemination

The representatives are found in East Asia, the Indo-Malayan region and in Australia. You are xerophytes and grow on open sites. Some are halophytes. You can fix sand dunes.

Species

The genus is placed in the tribe Paniceae. The Australian Plant Name Index lists the following ways:

• Spinifex fragilis R. Br
• Spinifex gaudichaudii
• Spinifex hirsutus Labill.
• Spinifex littoreus ( Burm. f ) Merr. , This type comes from India, Malaysia and East Asia to Polynesia and Australia before
• Spinifex longifolius R. Br
• Spinifex paradoxus ( R. Br ) Benth.
• Spinifex sericeus R. Br

Documents

• Spinifex in the flora of New Zealand