Tanglehead (Heteropogon contortus)

Tanglehead (Heteropogon contortus) is a species of Poaceae, an erect grass, up to 65 cm tall, with leaves up to 13 cm long and 0.5 cm wide. The inflorescence is at the top and hairy. The tip is black. This plant forms dense colonies in forests, agricultural lands, roadsides, and abandoned areas.



TAXON :

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Tribe: Andropogoneae
Subtribe: Anthistiriinae
Genus: Heteropogon Pers. in Syn. Pl. 2: 533 (1807)
Species: Heteropogon contortus (L.) P.Beauv. in J.J.Roemer & J.A.Schultes, Syst. Veg., ed. 15[bis]. 2: 836 (1817)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS :

Andropogon contortus L. in Sp. Pl.: 1045 (1753)
Heteropogon contortus var. hirtus Hack. in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Bras. 2(3): 267 (1883)
Heteropogon hirtus Pers. (1807)
Holcus contortus (L.) Stuck. in Anales Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, ser. 3, 4: 48 (1904)
Sorghum contortum (L.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 791 (1891)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS :

Andropogon allionii DC. in J.B.A.M.de Lamarck & A.P.de Candolle, Fl. Franç., éd. 3. 3: 97 (1805)
Andropogon austrocaledonicus Vieill. in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 16: 31 (1862)
Andropogon bellardii Bubani in Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital. 5: 317 (1873)
Andropogon besukiensis Steud. in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 367 (1854)
Andropogon contortus subsp. allionii (DC.) Trab. in J.A.Battandier & al., Fl. Algérie, Monocot.: 127 (1895)
Andropogon contortus var. allionii (DC.) Hack. in Bol. Soc. Brot. 3: 137 (1885)
Andropogon contortus var. breviaristatus Sennen in Butl. Inst. Catalana Hist. Nat. 32: n.° 7225 (1932)
Andropogon contortus subsp. glaber K.Richt. in Pl. Eur. 1: 24 (1890)
Andropogon contortus proles glaber (K.Richt.) P.Fourn. in Quatre Fl. France: 42 (1934)
Andropogon contortus var. glaber (Hack.) Hack. in A.L.P.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 6: 587 (1889)
Andropogon contortus subvar. hispidissimus Hack. (1889)
Andropogon contortus var. macroglumis Pilg. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 30: 137 (1901)
Andropogon contortus var. maroccanus Maire in Bull. Soc. Sci. Nat. Maroc, 8: 141 (1928)
Andropogon contortus subvar. roxburghii (Arn. ex Nees) Hack. (1889)
Andropogon contortus subvar. secundus Hack. (1889)
Andropogon firmus (J.Presl) Kunth in Enum. Pl. 1: 486 (1833)
Andropogon glaber Raspail in Ann. Sci. Nat. (Paris) 5: 307 (1825)
Andropogon hispidissimus Steud. (1854)
Andropogon hohenackeri Hochst. ex Steud. (1854)
Andropogon messanensis Biv. in Nuove Piante: 5 (1838)
Andropogon polystachyos Roxb. in Fl. Ind. 1: 265 (1820)
Andropogon secundus Griseb. in Fl. Brit. W. I.: 558 (1864)
Heteropogon allionii (DC.) Roem. & Schult. in Syst. Veg., ed. 15[bis]. 2: 835 (1817)
Heteropogon allionii var. messanensis (Biv.) Lojac. in Fl. Sicul. 3: 274 (1909)
Heteropogon allionii var. secundus (Hack.) Fiori in A.Fiori & al., Fl. Anal. Italia 1: 45 (1896)
Heteropogon besukiensis (Steud.) Miq. in Fl. Ned. Ind. 3: 494 (1857)
Heteropogon contortus var. allionii (DC.) Cuénod in Fl. Tunis.: 59 (1954)
Heteropogon contortus var. distichus C.E.C.Fisch. in J.S.Gamble, Fl. Madras: 1743 (1934)
Heteropogon contortus var. glaber Hack. (1883)
Heteropogon contortus var. hispidissimus (Steud.) Honda in Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 40: 105 (1926)
Heteropogon contortus var. hispidissimus (Hack.) M.R.Almeida in Fl. Maharashtra 6A: 155 (2014)
Heteropogon contortus var. polystachyos (Roxb.) Deshp. in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 30: 121 (1990)
Heteropogon contortus subvar. secundus (Hack.) Domin in Biblioth. Bot. 20(85): 276 (1915)
Heteropogon fertilis B.S.Sun & S.Wang in J. Yunnan Univ. (Nat. Sci. Ed.) 21: 96 (1999)
Heteropogon firmus J.Presl in C.B.Presl, Reliq. Haenk. 1: 334 (1830)
Heteropogon fischerianus Bor in Kew Bull. 6: 170 (1951)
Heteropogon glaber Pers. (1807)
Heteropogon glaber var. messanensis (Biv.) Nyman in Consp. Fl. Eur.: 786 (1882)
Heteropogon hirsutus P.Beauv. in Ess. Agrostogr.: 134 (1812)
Heteropogon hirtus var. glaber (Hack.) Rendle in W.P.Hiern, Cat. Afr. Pl. 2: 153 (1899)
Heteropogon hispidissimus Hochst. ex Steud. (1854)
Heteropogon hohenackeri Hochst. ex Miq. in Nieuwe Verh. Eerste Kl. Kon. Ned. Inst. Wetensch. Amsterdam, ser. 3, 4: 36 (1851)
Heteropogon messanensis (Biv.) Guss. in Fl. Sicul. Syn. 1: 164 (1843)
Heteropogon polystachyos (Roxb.) Schult. in Mant. 2: 460 (1824)
Heteropogon roxburghii Arn. ex Nees in Gramineae: 51 (1841)

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VERNACULAR NAME :

Afrikaans: Assegaaigras, Asgaaigras, Gewone pylgras, Kusal gras, Malgras, Pieringgras, Pylgras, Steekgras, Swartangel, Swartangelgras
Chinese (simplified): 黄茅
Chinese (traditional): 黃茅
English: Tanglehead, Black spear grass, Spear grass, Assegaai fix, Assegai fix, Common spear grass, Kusal grass, Stick grass
Filipino: Sibat-sibatan
Finnish: Kierrevihnelatva
French: Hétéropogon tordu
Gujarati: Daabh-suliyu
Hawaiian: Pili, lule
Indonesia: Bejeng-bejeng, Rumput tombak hitam
Italian: Trebbia contorta
Japanese: アカヒゲガヤ
Kannada: Kaarda hullu, Kariunugada hullu, Nanju hullu, Oobu hullu, Gandu bin
Malayalam: Oosipullu, Shoolampullu
Marathi: Gantegawta, Kantegawta, Kali Kusali, Kursali, Nanisunkhali, Pandhri Sukal
Nepali: Arthuge, Daapsu Khar
Sengwato: Seloka
Slovak: Bodavka stočená
Sotho: Selokana
Spanish: Barba negra
Telugu: Oopu gaddi, Eragaddi
Thai: หญ้าหนวดฤๅษี
Tswana: Seloka, Makurwane
Zulu: Isitupe