Pseudechinolaena polystachya(Kunth) Stapf

WFO wfo-0000894867 Accepted WFO 2026-06 5 photographs CC0

Plate 1 figs. a–e · 2 observations

This species has been photographed under an open licence only 2 times, so some figures below are different views of the same plant, taken on the same day, rather than different individuals. They are usually different parts of it: the leaf, the flower, the bark.

Pseudechinolaena polystachya, photographed by bat (Maria Vorontsova)
fig. a bat (Maria Vorontsova), CC0 1.0 / 2011-11-01 / obs. 105338629
Pseudechinolaena polystachya, photographed by bat (Maria Vorontsova)
fig. b bat (Maria Vorontsova), CC0 1.0 / obs. 105340000
Pseudechinolaena polystachya, photographed by bat (Maria Vorontsova)
fig. c bat (Maria Vorontsova), CC0 1.0 / obs. 105338594
Pseudechinolaena polystachya, photographed by bat (Maria Vorontsova)
fig. d bat (Maria Vorontsova), CC0 1.0 / obs. 105339998
Pseudechinolaena polystachya, photographed by bat (Maria Vorontsova)
fig. e bat (Maria Vorontsova), CC0 1.0 / obs. 105340004

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.

Native range 73 botanical countries

Regions where Pseudechinolaena polystachya is native: Angola, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Central African Republic, Congo, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Tibet, Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela AngolaBurkinaBurundiCameroonCape ProvincesCentral African RepublicCongoDR CongoEthiopiaGabonGhanaGuineaGulf of Guinea Is.Ivory CoastKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLiberiaMadagascarMalawiMozambiqueNigeriaNorthern ProvincesRwandaSierra LeoneSudan-South SudanTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabweChina South-CentralChina SoutheastHainanTibetAssamBangladeshEast HimalayaIndiaJawaLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNepalNew GuineaSri LankaSumateraThailandVietnamMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralColombiaCosta RicaEcuadorGuatemalaGuyanaHondurasNicaraguaPanamáParaguayPeruUruguayVenezuela
Native distribution of Pseudechinolaena polystachya, 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.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Angola ANG AFRICA
Burkina BKN
Burundi BUR
Cameroon CMN
Cape Provinces CPP
Central African Republic CAF
Congo CON
DR Congo ZAI
Ethiopia ETH
Gabon GAB
Ghana GHA
Guinea GUI
Gulf of Guinea Is. GGI
Ivory Coast IVO
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Liberia LBR
Madagascar MDG
Malawi MLW
Mozambique MOZ
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Rwanda RWA
Sierra Leone SIE
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Togo TOG
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina Northwest AGW
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Ecuador ECU
Guatemala GUA
Guyana GUY
Honduras HON
Nicaragua NIC
Panamá PAN
Paraguay PAR
Peru PER
Uruguay URU
Venezuela VEN
Assam ASS ASIA-TROPICAL
Bangladesh BAN
East Himalaya EHM
India IND
Jawa JAW
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
Nepal NEP
New Guinea NWG
Sri Lanka SRL
Sumatera SUM
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
China South-Central CHC ASIA-TEMPERATE
China Southeast CHS
Hainan CHH
Tibet CHT
Mexico Central MXC NORTHERN AMERICA
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS

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.

Also published as 20 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.

  • Echinochloa echinata P.Beauv.
  • Echinochloa polystachya (Kunth) Roberty
  • Echinolaena polystachya Kunth
  • Echinolaena trinii Zoll. & Moritzi
  • Lappago aliena Spreng.
  • Lappago oplismenoides Speg.
  • Loxostachys uncinata (Raddi) Peter
  • Nazia aliena (Spreng.) Scribn.
  • Nazia racemosa var. aliena (Spreng.) Scribn. & J.G.Sm.
  • Oplismenus oplismenoides (Speg.) Speg.
  • Panicum disjunctum Steud.
  • Panicum echinatum Willd. ex Döll
  • Panicum glandulosum Nees ex Trin.
  • Panicum heteranthum Link
  • Panicum heterochlamys Peter
  • Panicum nemorosum Willd. ex Mart.
  • Panicum polystachyum (Kunth) K.Schum.
  • Panicum trinii (Zoll. & Moritzi) Moritzi
  • Panicum uncinatum Raddi
  • Tragus alienus (Spreng.) Schult.

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. 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.