Cynosurus Linnaeus 1753
Creators: name: Mokni, Ridha El
name: Verloove, Filip
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Liliopsida
Poales
Poaceae
Cynosurus

description: Identification key to the species of the genus Cynosurus in North Africa(translated and modified from Maire 1955; species endemic to North Africa preceded by an *)
1 Inflorescence linear, 3–16 cm long. Ligule very short, up to 1.5 mm long, truncate.........................................................................2
- Inflorescence ovoid to oblong, often (much) shorter. Ligule usually longer, oblong ........................................................................3
2 Perennial. Inflorescence clearly lobed and rather lax, with lower branches often extended and distant. Lemmas of sterile florets long-attenuate, with awn 1.00– 1.25 mm long. Fertile spikelets with 1 or 2 florets, with aristate glumes and lemmas....................... ........................................................................................................................................................................................... * C. peltieri
- Annual. Inflorescence dense, not or only obscurely lobed, with short branches. Lemmas of sterile florets shortly mucronate, not aristate. Fertile spikelets with at least 3 florets, with mucronate glumes and muticous lemmas .......................... * C. polybracteatus
3 Perennial, densely tufted ....................................................................................................................................................................4
- Annual ................................................................................................................................................................................................5
4 Leaves involute, tough, almost pungent, the upper as a continuation of the stem, the inflorescence therefore appearing lateral. Innovations tough and erect, as long as the stem ..............................................................................................................* C. junceus
- Leaves flat, soft, the upper not as a continuation of the stem. Innovations flaccid and shorter than the stem ...............* C. balansae
5 Glumes and lemmas of sterile florets with a long (15–20 mm) awn, distinctly pink coloured at the base, 6–10 times as long as the body of the glume or lemma. Anthers ovoid, 0.4–0.7 mm ............................................................................................... C. coloratus
- Glumes and lemmas of sterile florets with a shorter awn (6–15 mm), 2–4 times as long as the body of the glume or lemma.Anthers oblong to linear, 0.7–2.5 mm ..............................................................................................................................................................6
6 Glumes of the fertile florets as wide as the lemmas. Leaves 3–9 mm wide..................................................................... C. echinatus
- Glumes of the fertile florets much narrower than the lemmas. Leaves 1–3 mm wide........................................................ C. elegans
description: Published as part of Mokni, Ridha El & Verloove, Filip, 2022, Cynosurus peltieri (Pooideae, Poaceae), a poorly known species endemic to the Algerian-Tunisian terrestrial flora: further insights on its occurrence, IUCN Red List assessment, and lectotypification, pp. 292-300 in Phytotaxa 538 (4) on page 298, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.538.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6340378