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| Description: |
Densely caespitose perennial usually forming dense tufts; culms up to 70 cm tall, the leaves mostly crowded at the base; leaf sheaths splitting into a dense cushion of fibres; leaf laminas 1.5–14 cm long, flat or folded.Raceme 4–16 cm long, straight or falcate, ciliate to densely barbate at the base.Spikelets 1-flowered, 3.4–4.1 mm long; lemma 2–2.6 mm long; anthers 1–1.6 mm long.Caryopsis c. 1.8 mm long. |
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| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | afra: African. |
| Habitat: | In montane grassland often in bare areas, in shallow soils over rock or laterite pans, in bare or sparsely covered areas in miombo or mixed deciduous woodlands, and on dambo and pan margins |
| Altitude range: (metres) | 580 - 1950 m |
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| Worldwide distribution: | Botswana, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| FZ divisions: | N,SW,SE |
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| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 354. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 39. Cope, T.A. (1999). Poaceae Flora Zambesiaca 10(2) Pages 230 - 231. Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 429. (Includes a picture). Isaiah, A.M. & Komi, T. (2015). Grasses in the Botswana National Botanic Garden South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria Page 27. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 106. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 141. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 86. |