Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Monocotyledon Literature for Panicum torridum
Wagner et al., 1990, 1999.
   Poaceae -- The Grass Family Bibliography
      Panicum torridum

Common name(s): panic grass, hakonakona (Ni`ihau), kakonakona
General Information
DistributionIn the Hawaiian Islands, endemic to Necker, Nihoa, Ni`ihau, Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i, Maui, Kaho`olawe, Hawai`i.















Click here for detailed USGS map by Jonathan Price
Habit
Cespitose annuals; culms 8-90 cm tall, unbranched or branched, villous or velvety puberulent, the nodes villous.
Leaves
Leaves cauline; sheaths villous or velvety puberulent; ligule a ciliate membrane, 0.7-2 mm long, the membrane 0.1-0.7 mm long, the cilia 0.6-1.4 mm long; blades 4-29 cm long, 0.2-1.5 cm wide, flat, villous or velvety puberulent.
Flowers
Panicles 3-23 cm long, axis villous, branches ascending, villous; spikelets 1.9-5.1 mm long, acuminate, villous; glumes villous with hairs 1-3 mm long, apex often curved outward, first glume as long as spikelets, acuminate or rarely acute, 5-7-nerved, second glume shorter than first glume, acute to acuminate, 5-9-nerved; first floret sterile, first lemma shorter than second glume, glabrous to villous, 7-nerved, first palea 1/4-1/2 as long as first lemma; second floret dark brown with white nerves at maturity, 1.2-2 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide, elliptic, smooth, glossy; anthers 0.7-1.2 mm long.
Chromosomes
2n = 18*