Basketgrass

Oplismenus hirtellus

Family: Poaceae Genus: Oplismenus Species: hirtellus

Synonyms: Panicum hirtellum, Oplismenus aemulus var. densiflorus, Oplismenus undulatifolius var. microphyllus, Oplismenus hirtellus f. lanceolatus, Panicum cubense, Oplismenus hirtellus var. imbecillis, Panicum nuttallianum, Hippagrostis loliacea, Oplismenus aristulatus, Oplismenus oahuaensis, Oplismenus africanus, Oplismenus imbecillis, Hekaterosachne elatior, Oplismenus psilostachys, Oplismenus velutinus, Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. psilostachys, Orthopogon aemulus, Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. imbecillis, Orthopogon velutinus, Orthopogon imbecillis, Oplismenus hirtellus f. imbecillis, Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. acuminatus, Panicum incanum, Oplismenus undulatifolius var. imbecillis, Oplismenus brasiliensis, Panicum raddianum, Panicum imbecille, Setaria ocreata, Setaria hirtella, Oplismenus loliaceus, Orthopogon parvifolius, Oplismenus depauperatus, Oplismenus parvifolius, Oplismenus latifolius, Panicum barbifultum, Panicum foliaceum, Panicum aemulum, Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. loliaceus, Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. fasciculatus, Orthopogon cubensis, Oplismenus aemulus, Echinochloa cubensis, Oplismenus hirtellus var. microphyllus, Orthopogon flaccidus, Panicum brevisetum, Oplismenus cubensis, Panicum oahuaense, Hippagrostis hirtella, Oplismenus foliaceus, Orthopogon hirtellus, Milium undulatifolium, Oplismenus minor, Oplismenus barbifultus, Oplismenus chondrosioides, Oplismenus flaccidus, Oplismenus tsushimensis, Panicum africanum, Panicum balfourii, Orthopogon africanus, Oplismenus microphyllus, Panicum flaccidum, Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. tsushimensis, Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. microphyllus, Oplismenus aemulus var. lasiorhachis, Oplismenus compositus var. loliaceus, Oplismenus acuminatus, Oplismenus borhidii, Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. capensis, Oplismenus aemulus var. flaccidus, Oplismenus brevisetus, Orthopogon loliaceus

Basketgrass (en)

Gallery

Botanical Description

Oplismenus hirtellus, the basketgrass or wavy-leaved basket grass, is a perennial creeping grass in the family Poaceae with a broad tropical and subtropical distribution spanning the Americas, Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and Pacific islands. Plants form low spreading mats by means of slender decumbent stems that root freely at the lower nodes, sending up flowering culms 15-60 cm tall. The leaf blades are short, broadly lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 2-8 cm long and 0.5-1.5 cm wide, with characteristic transverse undulations or wavy crinkles across the surface and a flat green to slightly purplish appearance; sheaths are softly hairy and the ligule is a fringed membrane. The inflorescence is a slender open panicle 4-15 cm long bearing short, distant racemes of paired spikelets, each spikelet 2-3 mm long. The lower glume bears a conspicuous long stiff awn 5-15 mm long that is sticky-glandular when fresh, allowing the spikelets to adhere to fur and clothing and providing the principal means of dispersal. Basketgrass grows in shaded forest understorey, along trail edges, and in disturbed moist ground from sea level to mid-montane elevations.

Native Region: Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bahamas, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bismarck Archipelago, Bolivia, Borneo, Botswana, Brazil North, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caroline Is., Cayman Is., Central African Repu, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Is., Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Florida, French Guiana, Gabon, Galápagos, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jawa, Kenya, Kermadec Is., Korea, KwaZulu-Natal, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Mali, Maluku, Marianas, Marquesas, Mauritius, Mexican Pacific Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nansei-shoto, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New South Wales, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Is., Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Is., Puerto Rico, Queensland, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Réunion, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Society Is., Solomon Is., Sudan, Sulawesi, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Victoria, Vietnam, Wallis-Futuna Is., Western Australia, Windward Is., Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

None Documented

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

232059

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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