The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Natal grass, Natal red top, rose Natal grass

molasses grass

Habit Plants annuals or short-lived perennials. Plants perennial; cespitose; aromatic.
Culms

(20)40-150 cm, decumbent, usually rooting at the lower nodes;

nodes pubescent;

internodes glabrous or with papillose-based hairs, hairs to 4.7 mm.

(50)80-150 cm, branching and sprawling, often becoming matted, usually rooting at the lower nodes;

upper nodes appressed pubescent;

internodes glabrous basally, appressed pubescent distally.

Sheaths

glabrous or with papillose-based hairs, hairs 0.5-4.7 mm;

ligules of hairs, 0.7-2.2 mm;

blades 3.6-27 cm long, 2-9(14) mm wide, flat, glabrous or pubescent, with or without papillose-based hairs.

densely tomentose, hairs 0.5-5.2 mm, spreading, papillose-based, often sticky and smelling of linseed oil;

ligules of hairs, 1-2 mm;

blades 3.5-19 cm long, 4-14 mm wide, flat, pubescent, hairs sometimes papillose-based.

Panicles

(4)6-22 cm long, (1.5)2.5-12 cm wide;

primary branches to 11 cm, ends of the primary branches, secondary branches, and pedicels capillary;

pedicels 0.6-5.3 mm, usually hairy distally, hairs to 6.3 mm.

(4.5)7-20 cm long, 1-9.5 cm wide, narrowly ovate;

primary branches to 8 cm;

pedicels usually shorter than the spikelets, glabrous, scabridulous.

Spikelets

2-5.7 mm;

calluses hairy, hairs to 4 mm.

1.7-2.4 mm, usually purplish;

calluses glabrous.

Caryopses

1.3-1.9 mm long, 0.6-0.9 mm wide.

0.9-1.2 mm long, 0.3-0.4 mm wide.

Lower

glumes 0-1.7 mm, pubescent, sometimes with papillose-based hairs, apices rounded, truncate, or slightly cleft;

upper glumes (1.9)2.3-4.9 mm, enclosing the upper florets, gibbous basally, densely pubescent, hairs to 7 mm, sometimes papillose-based, varying from white to rose or darkish purple, apices tapering, beaked, glabrous, unawned or awned, awns to 4.1 mm;

lower florets staminate or sterile;

lower lemmas 1.9-4.8 mm, unawned or with awns to 4.2 mm;

lower paleas 0.9-4 mm;

anthers (0.8)1.5-2.6 mm, orange-brown to orange;

upper lemmas 1.8-2.7 mm, glabrous;

anthers 3, 1.2-1.7 mm, orange-brown to orange.

glumes absent or to 0.3 mm, glabrous, scabridulous;

upper glumes 1.6-2.4 mm, glabrous, unawned, sometimes muticous;

lower florets sterile;

lower lemmas bilobed, lobes 0.2-0.7 mm, unawned or awned, awns to 18 mm;

lower paleas absent;

upper lemmas 1.4-1.9 mm, glabrous;

upper paleas 1.5-1.9 mm, usually slightly longer than the upper lemmas;

anthers 3, 1-1.5 mm, reddish-brown to orange.

2n

= 36.

= 36.

Melinis repens

Melinis minutiflora

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; FL; GA; LA; MD; NC; NM; TX; HI; PR; Virgin Islands
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; HI; PR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Melinis repens is probably native to Africa and western Asia. It is now established throughout the subtropics, including the southern portion of the Flora region. It has been grown as an ornamental, but it is now established and often weedy in warmer portions of the region.

Plants in the Flora region belong to Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka subsp. repens.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Melinis minutiflora is native to Africa, but has been introduced throughout the tropics as a forage crop. It is now regarded as a serious weed in many places. In the Flora region, it is only known to be established in southern Florida.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 25, p. 490. FNA vol. 25, p. 490.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Melinis Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Melinis
Sibling taxa
M. minutiflora, M. nerviglumis
M. nerviglumis, M. repens
Synonyms Rhynchelytrum roseum, Rhynchelytrum repens
Name authority (Willd.) Zizka P. Beauv.
Web links