Oloptum Röser & Hamasha (2012: 365)

Vázquez, Francisco Maria, Márquez, Francisco, García, David & Oualidi, Jalal El, 2025, A taxonomic revision of Stipeae s. l. tribe (Poaceae) in N Africa, Phytotaxa 699 (1), pp. 1-174 : 34-36

Oloptum Röser & Hamasha (2012: 365) .

Type:— Oloptum miliaceum ( L.) Röser & Hamasha (2012: 365)

≡ Piptatherum sect. Miliacea Roshevitz (1951: 84) , nom. illeg.

≡ Piptatherum sect. Miliacea Roshevitz ex Freitag (1975: 361) .

Perennials, caespitose, Simple panicle lax, long peduncle. Flowers glumes sub-equals, lemma not coriaceous truncated; palea entire, not involved by lemma; anthers apex glabrous; callus straight obtuse; awn not geniculated, scabrid and deciduous.

Key to the Oloptum species.

1. Panicle verticillate (5–)7–12 branches of spikelets per nude. All branches fertile ..................................................... O. miliaceum . - Panicle verticillate with 14–21(–25) branches of spikelets per nude. Some branches sterile ....................................... O. thomasii .

1. Oloptum miliaceum (L.) Röser & Hamasha (2012: 365). ( Figure 13 & 14 ).

Type:— EUROPE without date, collector or number (lectotype LINN 84.2 !, designated by Meikle 1985: 1794(2)). ≡ Agrostis miliacea Linnaeus (1753: 61) . (Bas.)

≡ Achnatherum miliaceum (L.) P. Beauvois (1812: 19).

≡ Milium multiflorum Cavanilles (1801: 36) , nom. superfl.

≡ Nassella multiflora (Cav.) Druce (1928: 125) , nom. superfl.

≡ Oryzopsis miliacea (L.) Ascherson & Schweinfurth (1887: 169).

≡ Oryzopsis multiflora (Cav.) Druce (1913: 180) , nom. superfl.

≡ Piptatherum frutescens Schultes (1824: 183) , nom. superfl.

≡ Piptatherum miliaceum (L.) Cosson (1851: 129) & E. Fournier (1866: 119).

≡ Piptatherum multiflorum (Cav.) P. Beauvois (1812: 19) , nom. superfl.

≡ Stipa miliacea (L.) Hoover (1966: 340).

≡ Urachne miliacea (L.) K. Koch (1848: 439).

≡ Urachne multiflora (Cav.) Link (1827: 93) , nom. superfl.

≡ Urachne parviflora Trinius (1820: 110) , nom. superfl.

= Agrostis sepium Linnaeus (1759: 872) . [lectotype n.v.].

= Agrostis sepium Jacquin (1762: 12) , nom. illeg., not Linnaeus (1759: 872).

= Agrostis oseroensis Seenus (1805: 50) . [lectotype n.v.].

= Milium arundinaceum Smith in J. Sibthorp & J.E. Smith (1806: 45). [lectotype n.v.]. = Agrostis graeca Sibthorp in J. Sibthorp & J.E. Smith (1808: t. 66), pro syn. .

= Agrostis monandra Hornemann (1808:1) . [lectotype n.v.].

= Agrostis comosa Poir. in J.B.A.M. de Lamarck (1810: 257). [lectotype n.v.].

= Agrostis milium-comosum Poir. in J.B.A.M. de Lamarck (1810: 257). [lectotype n.v.]. = Milium comosum Poir. in J.B.A.M. de Lamarck (1810: 257), pro syn ..

= Piptatherum comosum (Poir.) Römer & Schultes (1817: 330) .

= Milium microspermum Hornemann (1819: 8) , nom. illeg., not Lagasca (1816: 2).

= Milium frutescens Link (1821: 71) , pro syn.

= Urachne frutescens Link (1827: 93) . [lectotype n.v.].

= Agrostis berica Steudel (1840: 39) , pro syn.

= Agrostis dispar Steudel (1840: 40) , pro syn.

= Milium gaditanum Steudel (1841: 146) , pro syn.

= Milium pauciflorum Trinius (1842: 11) , pro syn

= Urachne pauciflora (Trin.) Boissier (1884: 507) , pro syn.

= Urachne comosa (Poir.) B.D. Jackson (1895: 1147) , pro syn.

= Oryzopsis pauciflora (Trin.) Béguinot & Vacc. (1913: 94) .

= Oryzopsis miliacea f. floribunda Sennen (1933: nº8959) nom. nud.

= Piptatherum verticillatum Vayreda & Vila (1931: 61) , nom. nud.

Culm erect, glabrous, 30–120 cm tall; without prophylls. Leaves with sheaths glabrous, or the lower scabrid, especially on the innovations, nearly glabrous on the stem, free margin, ciliated; ligule 0.5–2 mm long, thin, decurrent, apex truncated, glabrous to pilose, especially in the contact to the limb; vegetative blades culms 12–42(–48) cm long, plane to involute, abaxially and adaxially glabrous or sometimes pilose, striated, scabrous on the margin, to 6 mm wide extended lamina; Fertile blades culms 4–14(–16) cm long, plane to involute, abaxially and adaxially glabrous, striated, scabrous on the margin, up to 4.5 mm wide when extended lamina, ca. 2 mm wide when rolled, flexible sharp-pointed. Inflorescence 15–45(–55) cm long, panicle pyramidal, falling, loose, the axis scabrid to glabrous, the branches in distant verticils with (5)7–12 per nude, all fertile, slender, flexuous, more or less scabrous, spikelet-bearing in the upper half, the lowermost ca. 3–15(–22) cm long, the lower internode of axis as much as 12 cm long. Spikelet free, solitary and somewhat crowded along the branches, the lateral pedicel ca. 7 mm long, scabrid to glabrescent; glumes sub-equal, 2.5–4.1 mm long upper glume and 2.7–4.3 mm long lower glume, with apex green, gold (mature) to purple with hyaline acute apex, 3–5 ribs, scabrid to smooth; lemma ovate to lanceolate, 2.4–3.2 mm long, smooth, coriaceous, revolute margins, brown; without callus; palea 2–3 mm long, smooth; awn 2.5–4.5 mm long, early deciduous, scabrid; lodicules 3, unequal, the two laterals asymmetric apex obtuse, 2 ribs, 0.3–0.9 mm long, the posterior obtuse, 1 rib, ca. 0.6 mm long; anthers 1–1.4 mm long, apex smooth; stigma 2, plumose. Caryopsis, fusiform, 2–3 mm long, pale brown ( Figure 14 ).

Phenology:—Flowering April–October.

Habitat:—Roads and paths, on walls, rocky outcrops and ruderalized spaces in urban areas.

Distribution:—[Panmediterranean]. In North Africa: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania ( Figure 13 ).

2. Oloptum thomasii (Duby) Banfi & Galasso (2014: 81) & Gutermann (2014: 190) (isonym). ( Figure 13 & 15 ).

Type:— FRANCE. Corsicae, Capo Corso, without date , PH. Thomas (lectotype G-P. Thomas 1823!, designated here). ≡ Milium thomasii Duby (1828: 505) . (Bas.)

≡ Urachne thomasii (Duby) Steudel (1854: 122) .

≡ Piptatherum miliaceum var. thomasii (Duby) Boissier (1884: 507) .

≡ Oryzopsis miliacea subsp. thomasii (Duby) K. Richter (1890: 33) .

≡ Oryzopsis miliacea f. thomasii (Duby) Ascherson & Graebner (1898: 97) .

≡ Milium multiflorum var. thomasii (Duby) Goiran (1910: 60) .

≡ Oryzopsis thomasii (Duby) P. Silva (1964: 6) .

≡ Piptatherum miliaceum subsp. thomasii (Duby) Soják (1982: 14) .

≡ Achnatherum thomasii (Duby) F.M. Vázquez & Barkworth (2019: 90) .

≡ Oloptum miliaceum subsp. thomasii (Duby) P.P. Ferrer, R. Roselló, E. Laguna & J.B. Peris (2022: 44)

Culm erect, glabrous, 40–160 cm tall; without prophylls. Leaves with sheaths glabrous, or the lower scabrid, especially on the innovations, nearly glabrous on the stem, free margin, ciliated; ligule 0.5–2.2 mm long, thin, decurrent, apex truncated, glabrous to pilose, especially in the contact to the limb; vegetative blades culms 12–40(–45) cm long, plane to involute, abaxially and adaxially glabrous or sometimes pilose, striated, scabrous on the margin, up to 6.5 mm wide extended lamina; fertile blades culms 4–14(–18) cm long, plane to involute, abaxially and adaxially glabrous, striated, scabrous on the margin, up to 4.5 mm wide when extended lamina, ca. 2 mm wide when rolled, flexible sharp-pointed. Panicle pyramidal, falling, loose, 25–52(–65) cm long, the axis scabrid to glabrous, the branches in distant verticils with 14–21(25) per nude, any sterile, slender, flexuous, more-less scabrous, spikelet-bearing in the upper half, the lowermost about 3–15(–22) cm long, the lower internode of axis as much as 12 cm long. Spikelet free, solitary and somewhat crowded along the branches, the lateral pedicel ca. 7 mm long, scabrid to glabrescent; glumes sub-equal, 2.4–4 mm long upper glume and 2.5–4.2 mm long lower glume, with apex green, gold (mature) to purple with hyaline acute apex, 3–5 ribs, scabrid to smooth; lemma ovate to sub-ovate, occasionally lanceolate, 2–3.1 mm long, smooth, coriaceous, revolute margins, brown; without callus; palea 2–3 mm long, smooth; awn 2.5–4.4 mm long, early deciduous, scabrid; lodicules 3, unequal, the two laterals symmetric apex obtuse, 2 ribs, 0.3–0.9 mm long, the posterior obtuse, 1 rib, ca. 0.6 mm long; anthers 1.2–1.5 mm long, apex smooth; stigma 2, plumose. Caryopsis, fusiform, 2–3 mm long, pale brown ( Figure 15 ).

Phenology:—Flowering May–September.

Habitat:—Roads and paths, on walls, rocky outcrops and ruralized spaces in urban areas.

Distribution:—[Stenomediterranean]. In North Africa: Egypt, Algeria, Morocco ( Figure 13 ).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Geographic distribution of Oloptum miliaceum (red mark) and, Oloptum thomasii (blue mark) in NorthAfrica (from checked herbarium sheets).

FIGURE 14. Oloptum miliaceum. a. Plant habitus. b. Spikelet. c. Anthecium + Awn (dorsal view). d. Anthecium +Awn (ventral view). e. Ligule (Sheet + Limb fractions). f. Awn fragment. g. Limb cross section. Bars indicate 1 mm in b, c, d, f and g; the rest 10 mm.

FIGURE 15. Oloptum thomasii. a. Plant habitus. b. Spikelet. c. Anthecium + Awn (dorsal view). d. Anthecium + Awn (ventral view). e. Ligule (Sheet + Limb fractions). f. Awn fragment + basal fraction. g. Limb cross section. Bars indicate 1 mm in b, c, d, f and g; the rest 10 mm.