Triraphis devia is a species of grass endemic to Brazil, the only member of its genus native to the Western Hemisphere. Of the 7 other recognized species, 6 are from Africa,1 from Australia.[1][2][3]

Triraphis devia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Triraphis
Species:
T. devia
Binomial name
Triraphis devia
Filg. & Zuloaga

Three populations of Triraphis devia has been reported, all from the State of Goiás. One of these lies inside Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park.[2][4][5]

Triraphis devia is a perennial herb with an unbranched flowering stalk bearing a panicle less than 8 cm long.[6] These characters alone are enough to distinguish the species from others in the genus. Internal anatomy is consistent with the likelihood that the plant has Krantz anatomy. In other words, this is probably a C4 plant, having a photosynthetic metabolism improving efficiency in hot, sunlit environments.[7][2]

References

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  1. ^ Tropicos
  2. ^ a b c The Plant List
  3. ^ Filgueiras, T. S. & F. O. Zuloaga. 1999. A new Triraphis (Poaceae: Eragrostoideae) from Brazil: first record of a native species in the New World. Novon 9(1): 36–41.
  4. ^ Peterson, P. M. 2001. Triraphis. In Catalogue of New World Grasses (Poaceae): II. Subfamily Chloridoideae. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 41: 231–232.
  5. ^ Forzza, R. C. 2010. Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/2010. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
  6. ^ photo of isotype of Triraphis deviaat Missouri Botanical Garden
  7. ^ Hattersley, PW,. & L Watson. 1976. C4 grasses: an anatomical criterion for determining between NADP-Malic enzyme species and PCK or NAD-Malic enzyme species. Australian Journal of Botany 24:297-308