Oplismenus undulatifolius
| Wavyleaf basketgrass | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Genus: | Oplismenus |
| Species: | O. undulatifolius |
| Binomial name | |
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Oplismenus undulatifolius (Ard.) P. Beauv. 1812 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Oplismenus undulatifolius, commonly known as wavyleaf basketgrass, is a species of perennial grass from the Poaceae family that is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Southern Africa. It can be found in countries such as Pakistan (Punjab & Kashmir), China, Japan,Korea, India, Australia,South Africa, Madagascar and has since been introduced to the Mid-Atlantic United States. There are no recognized subspecies in Catalogue of Life.
Oplismenus undulatifolius is a shallow rooted perennial with stolons that may grow to several feet in length. The leaves of overwintering plants become brown and dead, but in the spring, new growth begins at the upper nodes of the stolons. In early fall, the sticky awns readily adhere to anything that brushes against them which makes for an effective mode of dispersal.
The species is 15–50 centimetres (5.9–19.7 in) long with leaf-blades being slightly lanceolate, ovate, and are 1–7 centimetres (0.39–2.76 in) long and 4–15 millimetres (0.16–0.59 in) wide. Its inflorescence is 2–8 centimetres (0.79–3.15 in) long and is made out of 5-11 cuneate fascicles which are 0.5–1.5 centimetres (0.20–0.59 in) in length and carry 2-6 spikelets. Spikelets are lanceolate just like leaf-blades, and are 2.5–4 millimetres (0.098–0.157 in) in length. They are also glabrous and pubescent and have glumes which have smooth viscid awns which are 7–14 millimetres (0.28–0.55 in) long. The awns of lower glumes are purple, are 5–10 millimetres (0.20–0.39 in) in length and are 3-5 veined. The lower lemma is herbaceous and have 5-9 veins while the upper one is 5 veined with an awn that is 2–5 millimetres (0.079–0.197 in). The species apex have a stout that is 1–2 millimetres (0.039–0.079 in) long. Flowers and fruits grow from July to November.
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