| # The grass genera of the world |

L. Watson, T.D. Macfarlane, and M.J. Dallwitz

### Capeochloa N.P Barker & H.P. Linder

~ Danthonia sensu lato, Merxmuellera

Type species: C. cincta (Nees) N.P. Barker & H.P. Linder.

Habit, vegetative morphology. Perennial; caespitose; geophytic (C. setacea), or not geophytic. Culms 50–250 cm high. Leaf blades tough; flat, or rolled; exhibiting multicellular glands abaxially; not pseudopetiolate; persistent. Ligule a fringe of hairs (sometimes comprising a multiple row of cilia).

Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual, all with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite florets. The spikelets hermaphrodite.

Inflorescence. Inflorescence many spikeleted (up to 200); paniculate; ovate or elliptical; espatheate; not comprising ‘partial inflorescences’ and foliar organs. Spikelets not secund; pedicellate.

Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets about 50–70; compressed laterally; presumably disarticulating above the glumes (?); disarticulating between the florets (?). Rachilla prolonged beyond the uppermost female-fertile floret, or terminated by a female-fertile floret (?). Hairy callus present. Callus blunt (as long as the rachilla internode).

Glumes two; more or less equal; about equalling the spikelets to exceeding the spikelets; long relative to the adjacent lemmas; long- pointed; awnless; similar. Lower glume much exceeding the lowest lemma; 1 nerved. Upper glume 1 nerved. Spikelets with female-fertile florets only, or with incomplete florets (?). The incomplete florets if present, distal to the female-fertile florets. The distal incomplete florets merely underdeveloped; awned.

Female-fertile florets 2–4. Lemmas similar in texture to the glumes (?); not becoming indurated; incised; conspicuously 2 lobed (the lobes pointed or apically shortly setaceous); deeply cleft (to about a third of the lemma length); awned. Awns 1; median; from a sinus; geniculate; hairless; much longer than the body of the lemma. Awn bases twisted. Lemmas hairy. The hairs not in tufts; in transverse rows, or not in transverse rows (the hairs scattered over the lemma back, or in a transverse row). Lemmas non-carinate; without a germination flap. Palea present; relatively long (exceeding the lemma sinus); entire to apically notched; awnless, without apical setae; 2-nerved; 2-keeled. Palea keels wingless; glabrous to hairy. Lodicules present; 2; ciliate, or glabrous (never with microhairs). Stamens 3. Ovary apically glabrous. Styles free to their bases; free. Style bases adjacent. Stigmas 2.

Fruit, embryo and seedling. Disseminule a free caryopsis (? - fruit not known ...). Fruit not grooved.

Transverse section of leaf blade, physiology. Presumeably C3.

Classification. Watson & Dallwitz (1994): genus not recognised. Soreng et al. (2015): Danthonioideae; Danthonieae. 3 species (C. arundinacea, C. cincta, C. setacea).

Distribution, phytogeography, ecology. South Africa, Cape.

Cape.

References, etc. Morphological/taxonomic: Linder et al. (2010).

Special comments. Fruit data wanting. Anatomical data wanting.

Illustrations. • Capeochloa cincta: Linder et al, Ann. Miss. Bot. Gard. 97 (2010).

We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, distributions of character states within any set of taxa, geographical distribution, and classifications. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.

Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., Macfarlane, T.D., and Dallwitz, M.J. 1992 onwards. The grass genera of the world: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval; including synonyms, morphology, anatomy, physiology, phytochemistry, cytology, classification, pathogens, world and local distribution, and references. Version: 15th June 2025. delta-intkey.com’.

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