Diplachne fusca(L.) P.Beauv.

Malabar sprangletop

WFO wfo-0001096255 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Diplachne fusca, photographed by Jacy Chen
fig. a Jacy Chen, CC BY 4.0 / 2022-02-02 / obs. 178393956

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

The specimen a real sheet, in a real collection

Herbarium
The New York Botanical Garden
Accession
764497
Filed as
Diplachne fusca (L.) P.Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult.
Det. by
F. M. Weitz 2000-01-01
Collected
R. Brand 2000-06-08
Origin
ZA
The sheet
View the digitised specimen (CC BY 4.0)

A real pressed plant, in a real collection, under the accession number above. Not an illustration of one. The holding institution does not serve this sheet’s image to third parties, so there is no photograph here. The record is real and the link goes to it. Where we hold no openly licensed sheet for a species this section is simply absent, and where a sheet never recorded who determined it, that field stays empty rather than being filled in. Roughly half of all herbarium sheets never recorded a determiner, which is ordinary.

Native range 158 botanical countries

Regions where Diplachne fusca is native: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Caprivi Strip, Chad, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Free State, Gambia, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Gulf States, Hainan, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon-Syria, Manchuria, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, India, Jawa, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, New Guinea, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Québec, Rhode I., South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Chile North, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Turks-Caicos Is., Venezuela, Windward Is. AlgeriaAngolaBotswanaBurundiCape ProvincesCaprivi StripChadDjiboutiDR CongoEgyptEswatiniEthiopiaFree StateGambiaKenyaKwaZulu-NatalMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaNorthern ProvincesSenegalSomaliaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaUgandaWestern SaharaZambiaZimbabweAfghanistanChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastGulf StatesHainanIranIraqJapanKuwaitLebanon-SyriaManchuriaOmanPalestineSaudi ArabiaTaiwanYemenBangladeshBorneoCambodiaIndiaJawaLaosMalayaMyanmarNew GuineaPakistanPhilippinesSri LankaSumateraThailandVietnamNew South WalesNorthern TerritoryQueenslandSouth AustraliaVictoriaWestern AustraliaAlabamaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutFloridaIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaQuébecSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWyomingArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestArgentina SouthBelizeBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralChile NorthColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicEcuadorHaitiHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaParaguayPeruPuerto RicoVenezuela Canary Is.DelawareDistrict of ColumbiaRhode I.BahamasCayman Is.Leeward Is.Netherlands AntillesTurks-Caicos Is.Windward Is.
Native distribution of Diplachne fusca, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Alabama ALA NORTHERN AMERICA
Arizona ARI
Arkansas ARK
California CAL
Colorado COL
Connecticut CNT
Delaware DEL
District of Columbia WDC
Florida FLA
Idaho IDA
Illinois ILL
Indiana INI
Iowa IOW
Kansas KAN
Kentucky KTY
Louisiana LOU
Maine MAI
Maryland MRY
Massachusetts MAS
Mexico Central MXC
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Northeast MXE
Mexico Northwest MXN
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS
Michigan MIC
Minnesota MIN
Mississippi MSI
Missouri MSO
Montana MNT
Nebraska NEB
Nevada NEV
New Hampshire NWH
New Jersey NWJ
New Mexico NWM
New York NWY
North Carolina NCA
North Dakota NDA
Ohio OHI
Oklahoma OKL
Ontario ONT
Oregon ORE
Pennsylvania PEN
Québec QUE
Rhode I. RHO
South Carolina SCA
South Dakota SDA
Tennessee TEN
Texas TEX
Utah UTA
Vermont VER
Virginia VRG
Washington WAS
West Virginia WVA
Wyoming WYO
Algeria ALG AFRICA
Angola ANG
Botswana BOT
Burundi BUR
Canary Is. CNY
Cape Provinces CPP
Caprivi Strip CPV
Chad CHA
Djibouti DJI
DR Congo ZAI
Egypt EGY
Eswatini SWZ
Ethiopia ETH
Free State OFS
Gambia GAM
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Madagascar MDG
Malawi MLW
Mali MLI
Mauritania MTN
Morocco MOR
Mozambique MOZ
Namibia NAM
Niger NGR
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Senegal SEN
Somalia SOM
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Uganda UGA
Western Sahara WSA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina Northwest AGW
Argentina South AGS
Bahamas BAH
Belize BLZ
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Cayman Is. CAY
Chile North CLN
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Dominican Republic DOM
Ecuador ECU
Haiti HAI
Honduras HON
Jamaica JAM
Leeward Is. LEE
Netherlands Antilles NLA
Nicaragua NIC
Paraguay PAR
Peru PER
Puerto Rico PUE
Turks-Caicos Is. TCI
Venezuela VEN
Windward Is. WIN
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
China North-Central CHN
China South-Central CHC
China Southeast CHS
Gulf States GST
Hainan CHH
Iran IRN
Iraq IRQ
Japan JAP
Kuwait KUW
Lebanon-Syria LBS
Manchuria CHM
Oman OMA
Palestine PAL
Saudi Arabia SAU
Taiwan TAI
Yemen YEM
Bangladesh BAN ASIA-TROPICAL
Borneo BOR
Cambodia CBD
India IND
Jawa JAW
Laos LAO
Malaya MLY
Myanmar MYA
New Guinea NWG
Pakistan PAK
Philippines PHI
Sri Lanka SRL
Sumatera SUM
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
New South Wales NSW AUSTRALASIA
Northern Territory NTA
Queensland QLD
South Australia SOA
Victoria VIC
Western Australia WAU

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Where it actually grows measured, from 553 observations

Condition 5th percentile Median 95th percentile
Coldest month, mean daily low -4.1 °C 10.5 °C 16.2 °C
Warmest month, mean daily high 26.5 °C 30.5 °C 41.7 °C
Annual rainfall 97 mm 942 mm 2,470 mm
Rainfall in the driest quarter 3 mm 65 mm 244 mm

It is found where winters bring light frost. This is not care advice and it is not a forecast. It is a measurement: we sampled the climate at every one of the 553 research-grade observations of Diplachne fusca that carry a coordinate, and this is the range those places actually span. The 5th and 95th percentiles are used rather than the minimum and maximum, because a single cultivated specimen in a heated conservatory should not widen a tropical plant's range to the Arctic.

This is not a hardiness zone. A USDA zone is the average annual extreme minimum temperature. The figure above is the mean daily minimum of the coldest month, which is a different quantity and is typically far warmer. Reading one as the other would place a plant several zones too warm, so we do not publish a hardiness zone, because we do not have one.

Also published as 113 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Atropis carinata Griseb.
  • Brizopyrum uninervium (J.Presl) E.Fourn.
  • Bromus poiformis Spreng.
  • Bromus polystachios Forssk.
  • Bromus polystachyus Kunth
  • Centotheca malabarica (L.) Merr.
  • Cynodon fascicularis (Lam.) Raspail
  • Diachroa procumbens (Muhl.) Nutt.
  • Digitaria malabarica (L.) Roem. & Schult.
  • Diplachne acuminata Nash
  • Diplachne alba Hochst. ex Steud.
  • Diplachne amboensis Roiv.
  • Diplachne amboensis var. plurinodis Roiv.
  • Diplachne capensis (Nees) Nees
  • Diplachne capensis var. pauciflora Nees
  • Diplachne carinata (Griseb.) Hack. ex Kurtz
  • Diplachne cuspidata Launert
  • Diplachne fascicularis (Lam.) P.Beauv.
  • Diplachne festuciformis H.Scholz
  • Diplachne fusca var. alba (Steud.) Chiov.
  • Diplachne fusca var. fascicularis (Lam.) P.M.Peterson & N.Snow
  • Diplachne fusca var. lutescens Probst & Thell.
  • Diplachne fusca var. macrotricha Hack.
  • Diplachne fusca var. muelleri (Benth.) J.M.Black

and 89 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. USDA PLANTS Database. common name, checklist symbol LEFU21. public domain. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.