keys to the vascular plants of east texas - Botanical Research ...

1046 POACEAE/SACCIOLEPIS
tropical se Asia (probably New Guinea—Clayton & Renvoize 1986) or the Polynesian Islands of
the South Pacific (Daniels & Roach 1987). Clonally reproducing forms have been grown from
Indochina through the East Indies to Polynesia “since prehistoric times as a garden plant for
chewing” (Whalen 1991). Whalen (1991) noted that while numerous agronomic hybrids have
been derived from some of these indigenous chewing or “noble” canes by crossing with other species,
the name S. officinarum is appropriately applied only to the indigenous forms. According to
Whalen (1991), “Virtually all commercial sugarcane clones in cultivation today are complex hybrids
that have in their parentage not only Saccharum officinarum but also S. spontaneum or S.
sinense or both.” Saccharum officinarum, however, usually accounts for 75–88% of the genetic
makeup of the commercial hybrids, and as a result they are usually classified as that species
(Whalen 1991). We are following such standard usage (e.g., Allen 1992b) and using the name S.
officinarum for cultivated hybrid SUGARCANE. Numerous products are made from this species,
including sugar (ca. 1/2 the sugar produced worldwide—Mabberley 1997), molasses, syrup, rum,
and ethanol (Whalen 1991). It is also cultivated for fodder (Watson & Dallwitz 1992). I
SACCIOLEPIS Nash CUPSCALE, GLENWOOD GRASS
Annuals or perennials; leaves mostly cauline; ligule membranous, sometimes with a fringe of
hairs; leaf blades flat; inflorescence a contracted, narrowly cylindric panicle; pedicels short,
with discoid apices; spikelets glabrous, awnless, disarticulating below the glumes, 2-flowered,
the lower floret staminate or neuter, the upper floret perfect; lower glume ca. 1/2–1/4 as long as
upper glume or shorter; upper glume ca. as long as spikelet, with 7–13 raised veins, inflated and
saccate (= sac-like) at base, the spikelet thus basally asymmetrical; lemma of lower floret about
as long as upper glume; palea of lower floret present or much reduced; lemma and palea of upper
floret hardened, smooth, shiny.
AA C3 genus of 30 species of tropical and warm areas, with the center of diversity (ca. 25 species)
in Africa (Simon 1972; Wipff 2003i). The species are usually found in wet places, and typically
have a spike-like inflorescence. Some species resemble Panicum, but the spikelets are
asymmetric at base, the prominently multi-veined upper glume having a pouch- or sac-like
swelling at base. (Greek: saccion, small bag, and lepis, scale, referring to the saccate upper
glume) (subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae)
REFERENCES: Chase 1908; Simon 1972; Pohl & Lersten 1975; Judziewicz 1990a; Crins 1991; Allen
1992a; Bryson & Lockley 1993; Wipff 2003i.
1. Plants annual, tufted, 0.6(–1) m or less tall; leaf blades 3–6 mm wide; spikelets 2.5–3(–3.5) mm
long; inflorescences 1.5–6(–10) cm long, usually 7 mm or less wide; lower inflorescence branches
ca. 0.5 cm or less long; lower glume ca. 1/2 as long as upper; lower floret with palea 0.5–1 mm
long, 1/2 as long as the lemma or shorter ________________________________________________ S. indica
1. Plants perennial, stoloniferous, 0.8–1.5(–nearly 2) m tall; leaf blades (3–)6–15(–22) mm wide; spikelets
(2.9–)3.5–5 mm long; inflorescences (6–)8–30 cm long, (7–)10–20(–31) mm wide; lower inflorescence
branches (0.4–)2 cm or more long; lower glume � 1/3 as long as upper; lower floret
with palea 2–4 mm long, 3/4 as long to nearly as long as the lemma __________________________ S. striata
Sacciolepis indica (L.) Chase, (of India), INDIA CUPSCALE, GLENWOOD GRASS, CHASE’S GLENWOOD
GRASS. Tufted annual; culms 10–60(–100) cm tall; ligule 0.1–0.3(–0.7) mm long; lower glume ca.
1.3–1.9 mm long; lemma of fertile floret ca. 1.2–1.7 mm long. Moist to wet, disturbed habitats;
Liberty (Watson 23234-B, Rice Univ.), Newton (Gould 1975b) and Tyler (Turner et al. 2003) cos.
in the Pineywoods; se U.S. from NC s to FL w to TX. Aug–Oct. Native of Asia. [Aira indica L.]
This introduced species was first reported for the U.S. in 1950 (Hitchcock 1951), for TX in 1975
(Gould 1975), for LA in 1992 (Allen 1992a), and for MS in 1993 (Bryson & Lockley 1993). I
Sacciolepis striata (L.) Nash, (striated, striped), AMERICAN CUPSCALE. Perennial, sometimes rhizomatous;
culms to ca. 2 m tall, rooting at creeping basal nodes; ligule 0.7 mm or less long;