Sphaerocaryum

Scientific name

Sphaerocaryum Nees ex Hook. f.

Family

Poaceae

Native distribution

temperatetemperate:
(adj) of the climatic zone between boreal and tropical
to tropical; India to southeast Asia including southern China

Species cultivated

Sphaerocaryum malaccense (Trin.) Pilger is rarely offered commercially; it is sometimes traded among hobbyists.

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

prostrateprostrate:
(adj) growing closely along the ground
, emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
, mat-forming herb-like grass

Brief description

Small creeping grass. Culmculm:
(n) the stem of a grass or sedge
slender and delicate, basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
nodes rooting, sometimes with a glandular ring below nodes. Leaves al ternateternate:
(adj) in threes
; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
; sheath hispidhispid:
(adj) covered with firm, stiff hairs
, margins ciliateciliate:
(adj) with a marginal fringe of stiff hairs
; liguleligule:
(n) (1) a strap-shaped structure; (2) an often thin, membranous or hairy structure projecting from the top of the leaf sheath in grasses and a few other families; (3) the flattened part of the ray corolla in the Asteraceae
a ring of hairs; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
broadly ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
- cordatecordate:
(adj) heart-shaped; in the form of two rounded lobes
; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
; base amplexi caulinecauline:
(adj) pertaining to or belonging to the stem
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
ciliate to serrulateserrulate:
(adj) minutely serrate
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
, open paniclepanicle:
(n) an indeterminate, branched (often much-branched) inflorescence; the ultimate units may be of a different inflorescence type
with spreading branches. Spikeletspikelet:
(n) a small spike; basic unit of the grass and sedge inflorescence, commonly consisting of one to many florets (small flowers) subtended by bracts
a solitary fertilefertile:
(adj) producing viable seed, spores, or pollen; capable of reproducing
floretfloret:
(n) one of the small individual flowers within a dense cluster of flowers, as in a compound inflorescence and in grass spikelets
, ellipticelliptical:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
. Glumes deciduousdeciduous:
(adj) shedding of parts at the end of their growing period, as with leaves; those trees or shrubs that drop their leaves at the end of the season
; similar; hyalinehyaline:
(adj) thin and translucent or transparent
, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
; 1-veined; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
obtuseobtuse:
(adj) with a blunt or rounded apex and sides coming together at an angle of more than 90 degrees
. Fertilefertile:
(adj) producing viable seed, spores, or pollen; capable of reproducing
lemma equal to spikeletspikelet:
(n) a small spike; basic unit of the grass and sedge inflorescence, commonly consisting of one to many florets (small flowers) subtended by bracts
; hyalinehyaline:
(adj) thin and translucent or transparent
; pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
. Paleapalea:
(n) in grasses the distal bract subtending the floret; in composite flowers a scale-like bract that subtends an individual floret on the receptacle
equal to lemma; hyalinehyaline:
(adj) thin and translucent or transparent
; pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
; 3-veined.