REVIEW OF PENNISETUM SECTION BREVIVALVULA (POACEAE)

Section Brevivalvula is one of five sections in the large tropical gra ss genus Pennisetum. It belongs to the tertiary genepool of P. glaucum (L.) R. Br., pearl miller, and consists of six morphological taxa: P. atrichum Stapf & Hubb., P. hordeoides (Lam.) Steud., P. pedicellatum Trin., P. polystachion (L.) Schult., P. setosum (Swartz) L. Rich. and P. subangustum (Schum.) Stapf & Hubb., which together form a polyploid and agamic complex. Four euploid (x = 9) and twelve aneuploid chromos ome levels have been found till now; the polyploids are apomictic, whi le diploid populations of P. polystachion and P. subangustum are consi dered sexual.