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Cleistachne

Scientific Name: Cleistachne

Family: Poaceae

Category: Monocot

Growth:

Duration:

Other Names:

       

Cleistachne sorghoides: A Detailed Look

Cleistachne sorghoides, also known by the common name False Sorghum, is a grass species belonging to the genus Cleistachne.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Cleistachne sorghoides Benth.
  • Genus: Cleistachne Benth.
  • Family: Poaceae (Grass family)
  • Rank: Species
  • Synonyms/Other Names:
    • Cleistachne macrantha Stapf
    • Cleistachne stocksii Hook. f.
    • Cleistachne teretifolia Hack.
  • Protologue: Hooker's Icon. Pl.: t. 1379 (1880)

Distribution and Habitat

Cleistachne sorghoides is native to eastern and southeastern Africa and Asia. It has been observed in the following African countries: Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Habit: Annual
  • Culms: Erect, ranging from 60 to 250 cm long, sometimes growing over 7 ft. high. Simple and rooting from the lowest nodes.
  • Roots: May possess stilt-roots.
  • Leaves:
    • Leaf blade is linear, often rolled and narrowed to the midrib, with a tapering base.
    • Leaf-sheaths are terete, the lowest are loose, while the others are tight.
    • Ligule is an eciliate membrane.
  • Inflorescence: A panicle with an elongated central axis and tough branches. Spikelets are all alike or nearly so, and sessile.

Ecological Role

  • Larval foodplant for some species.

Genetic Information

  • Cleistachne sorghoides has been used in studies analyzing the relationships between different grass species. Analyses of ctDNA and the Pepc4 gene have shown its close relationship to Sorghum, even to the point that it is nested within the Sorghum clade.
  • Two LCN homoeologous loci of Cleistachne sorghoides were first discovered in the same accession.

Interactions with Other Organisms

  • Serves as larval foodplant for certain insects.

Conservation Status

  • Listed as Least Concern by Raimondo et al. (2009).
  • Listed as Not Threatened by Hilton-Taylor (1996).

Further Information

  • Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.
  • The Plant List
  • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
  • Tropicos