G.606. Andropogon L.

Description of the genus

Annuals or perennials. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, of paired or digitate (occasionally single) racemes, sometimes numerous and crowded into a spathate false panicle; racemes lacking homogamous pairs; internodes and pedicels filiform to obovoid. Sessile spikelet dorsally flattened or squeezed between pedicel and internode; callus obtuse, inserted in the concave top of the internode; lower glume membranous to coriaceous, mostly flat, concave or deeply grooved on the back, 2-keeled; upper glume with or without an awn; lower floret reduced to a hyaline lemma; upper lemma hyaline, 2-lobed, with a conspicuous awn from the sinus. Pedicellate spikelet male or barren (sometimes 0), usually awnless. Similar to Ischaemum. See the note under that genus.

Worldwide: c. 100 species in tropical and warm regions

Zambia: 15 taxa.

No image yet

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
africanus Franch.SDescription
amethystinus Steud. W
brazzae Franch.B,N,W,SDescription
chinensis (Nees) Merr.N,W,C,SDescription
distachyos L.NDescription
eucomus Nees subsp. eucomus B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
eucomus Nees subsp. huillensis (Rendle) SalesB,N,W,CDescription, Image
fastigiatus Sw.N,W,C,SDescription
festuciformis Rendle B,N,W,C
gayanus KunthB,N,W,C,E,SDescription
ligulatus (Stapf) ClaytonN,W,CDescription
mannii Hook. f.NDescription
perligulatus StapfN,W,C,SDescription
schirensis Hochst. ex A. Rich.B,N,W,C,E,SDescription
textilis Welw.B,NDescription

Other sources of information about Andropogon:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Andropogon
Flora of Burundi: Andropogon
Flora of Caprivi: Andropogon
Flora of Malawi: Andropogon
Flora of Mozambique: Andropogon
Flora of Zimbabwe: Andropogon

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Andropogon
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Andropogon
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Andropogon
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Andropogon
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Andropogon
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Andropogon
JSTOR Plant Science: Andropogon
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Andropogon
Plants of the World Online: Andropogon
Tropicos: Andropogon
Wikipedia: Andropogon

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Nicholas Wightman, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-25

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wightman, N., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2025). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Andropogon.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=241, retrieved 2 April 2025

Site software last modified: 5 February 2025 2:16pm (GMT +2)
Terms of use