Biology:Heteropogon contortus

From HandWiki
Short description: Species of plant

Heteropogon contortus
Scientific classification edit
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: Plantae
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: Tracheophytes
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: Angiosperms
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: Monocots
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: Commelinids
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: Poales
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: Poaceae
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: Panicoideae
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: Heteropogon
Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: <div style="display:inline" class="script error: no such module "taxobox ranks".">H. contortus
Binomial name
Heteropogon contortus
(L.) P.Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult.[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Andropogon contortus L.

Heteropogon contortus is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia , Oceania, and southwestern North America. The species has also become a naturalised weed in tropical and subtropical regions in the Americas and East Asia. The plant grows to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height and is favoured in most environments by frequent burning. The plants develop characteristic dark seeds with a single long awn at one end and a sharp spike at the other. The awn becomes twisted when dry and straightens when moistened, and in combination with the spike is capable of drilling the seed into the soil.

The species is known by many common names, including black speargrass, tanglehead, steekgras (in Afrikaans) and pili (in Hawaiian, ultimately from Proto-Austronesian *pilit₁ "to adhere/stick").[2][3] H. contortus is a valuable pasture species across much of its range. However, it has also been responsible for the elimination of the wool industry over much of Australia due to the seeds becoming embedded in the wool and skin of sheep and devaluing the wool and killing the animals. H. contortus seeds are also responsible for similar injuries in dogs with thick undercoats, or becoming embedded in the socks and skin of hikers.

Uses

Native Hawaiians used pili to thatch hale (houses).[4] Ruler Pilikaʻaiea was named after the grass, and his royal house was Pili line (Hale o Pili).

  • Single seed demonstrating long twisted awn
    Single seed demonstrating long twisted awn
  • Ripe seedhead
    Ripe seedhead
  • Form
    Form

See also

  • Mount Huangmao, the highest point in China 's Zhejiang province, is named for the plant

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 {{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Heteropogon contortus | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) | url = | publisher = [[Organization:Agricultural Research ServAgricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | access-date = 2009-03-27 }}
  2. ↑ "Piri-Piri ~ Piripiri". Te Māra Reo: The Language Garden. Benton Family Trust. 2022. https://www.temarareo.org/PPN-Piripiri.html. 
  3. ↑ Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen (2010). "*pilit₁: paste, stick to". Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. https://acd.clld.org/cognatesets/30422#2/-35.5/165.9. 
  4. ↑ Kanahele, George S. (1993). "Chapter 7: A Sense of Place". Kū Kanaka, Stand Tall: A Search for Hawaiian Values. University of Hawaii Press. p. 202. ISBN 978-0-8248-1500-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=ndt4MZQ2kfEC. 

Wikidata ☰ Q2716358 entry



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Biology:Heteropogon_contortus&oldid=492346"