Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Monocotyledon Literature for Megathyrsus maximus
Wagner et al., 1990, 1999; Lorence & Wagner, 2019.
   Poaceae -- The Grass Family Bibliography
      Megathyrsus maximus

Common name(s): panic grass, Guinea grass
General Information
DistributionNative to Africa, an important forage grass, widely introduced and naturalized throughout the tropics.In the Hawaiian Islands, naturalized on Midway, Ni`ihau, Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i, Maui, Kaho`olawe, Hawai`i.
















Habit
Robust cespitose perennial, 70-300 cm tall, glabrous to hirsute with stiff hairs; culms usually unbranched.
Leaves
Leaves with ligule of a ciliate membrane, 1‒3 mm long; blade 15‒90 cm long, 0.6‒3 cm wide, flat, glabrous or pubescent, usually densely hirsute behind the ligule.
Flowers
Inflorescences a panicle, 9‒60 cm long, ovoid, the lowest branches to 40 cm long and whorled. Spikelets pedicellate, 2.7‒3.5 mm long, elliptic-obovoid, glabrous or pubescent; first glume 1‒1.5 mm long, ¼‒½ as long as spikelet, 3‒5-veined, obtuse, second glume 5-veined, acute; first floret usually staminate, first lemma 5‒7-veined, acute, first palea as long as first lemma; second floret perfect, 2‒2.8 mm long, acute, transversely rugose; anthers 1.2‒1.9 mm long.
Fruit
Caryopses ellipsoid, 1.7‒1.8 mm long, 0.8 mm wide, smooth, grayish tan.
Seeds

Chromosomes
2n = 16, 18, 28, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 48.
Contributor
David Lorence