Schizostachyum

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect (30/48), or arching (8/48), or leaning (13/48), or scandent (6/48); slender (1/1); 152–1058–5200 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete. Culm-nodes flush with internodes (5/9), or swollen (4/9). Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement one (1/33), or two (1/33), or several (8/33), or many (25/33); in a clump (7/7); with subequal branches (17/18), or 1 branch dominant (1/18). Culm-sheaths persistent (7/28), or tardily deciduous (7/28), or deciduous but leaving a persistent girdle (1/28), or deciduous (14/28); without auricles (19/47), or auriculate (28/47). Culm-sheath blade linear (16/50), or lanceolate (22/50), or narrowly ovate (1/50), or ovate (7/50), or triangular (13/50); narrower than sheath (6/9), or as wide as sheath at base (3/9). Leaf-sheath auricles absent (39), or erect (6), or falcate (18). Ligule an eciliate membrane (46), or a ciliolate membrane (7), or a ciliate membrane (10). Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades persistent (61), or deciduous at the ligule (1); linear (3), or lanceolate (52), or elliptic (2), or oblong (14), or ovate (2); stiff (1), or firm (61). Leaf-blade midrib evident (1/5), or conspicuous (4/5). Leaf-blade venation without cross veins (52), or with obscure cross veins (4), or with distinct cross veins (6).

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous (54/54); scanty (1/54), or linear (3/54), or clustered at the nodes (50/54); in stellate clusters (3/50), or untidy tufts (47/50); with glumaceous subtending bracts (48/54), or spathaceous subtending bracts (6/54); with axillary buds at base of spikelet (54/54); leafy between clusters (5/29), or leafless between clusters (25/29), or leafless between branches (1/29).

Fertile spikelets sessile (53/54), or sessile and pedicelled (1/54), or pedicelled (1/54).

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 0 basal sterile florets (2/5), or 1 basal sterile florets (3/5), or 2 basal sterile florets (2/5); 1 fertile florets (45/54), or 2 fertile florets (8/54), or 3 fertile florets (5/54), or 4 fertile florets (3/54), or 5 fertile florets (2/54), or 6–7 fertile florets (1/54); without rhachilla extension (3/54), or with a barren rhachilla extension (19/54), or with diminished florets at the apex (34/54). Spikelets linear (6/54), or lanceolate (48/54), or oblong (2/54); laterally compressed (34/54), or subterete (20/54); 6–20.91–75 mm long; breaking up at maturity (54/54); disarticulating below each fertile floret (54/54). Rhachilla internodes brief up to lowest fertile floret (53/54), or elongated below proximal fertile floret (1/54); definite (14/14); glabrous (12/14), or sparsely hairy (1/14), or pilose (1/14).

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure (4/54), or two (15/54), or several (38/54); persistent (38/39), or lower persistent, upper deciduous (1/39); shorter than spikelet (41/41). Lower glume lanceolate (2/19), or oblong (1/19), or ovate (16/19); 1 length of upper glume; chartaceous (4/4); without keels (4/5), or 1-keeled (1/5); 3–4 -veined (1/4), or 5–6 -veined (2/4), or 7 -veined (3/4), or 8–10 -veined (1/4), or 11 -veined (2/4). Lower glume surface without pits (51/51). Lower glume apex acute (4/11), or acuminate (6/11), or attenuate (1/11); muticous (17/19), or mucronate (1/19), or awned (1/19). Upper glume lanceolate (4/31), or oblong (3/31), or ovate (24/31); 0.3–0.425–0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous (15/15); without keels (7/9), or 1-keeled (2/9); 3–4 -veined (1/7), or 5–7 -veined (4/7), or 10 -veined (1/7), or 11 -veined (2/7), or 12–14 -veined (1/7), or 16–18 -veined (1/7). Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins (1/1). Upper glume surface glabrous (53/54), or pilose (1/54). Upper glume apex obtuse (1/18), or acute (10/18), or acuminate (6/18), or attenuate (1/18), or setaceously attenuate (1/18); muticous (21/31), or mucronate (8/31), or awned (2/31); 1 -awned (2/2).

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren (2/2); without significant palea (1/1). Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate (1/4), or ovate (3/4); 9 -veined (2/2); emarginate (1/4), or obtuse (1/4), or acute (1/4), or acuminate (1/4), or attenuate (1/4); muticous (2/4), or mucronate (1/4), or awned (1/4). Fertile lemma lanceolate (15/54), or elliptic (1/54), or oblong (4/54), or ovate (39/54); chartaceous (54/54); without keel (53/54), or keeled (1/54); wingless (54/54); 5–12–22 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent (1/1). Lemma surface unwrinkled (54/54); without grooves (54/54); glabrous (43/54), or puberulous (1/54), or pubescent (7/54), or pilose (2/54), or hispid (1/54). Lemma margins flat (10/54), or convolute (44/54); exposing palea (10/54), or covering most of palea (44/54); eciliate (45/54), or ciliolate (3/54), or ciliate (7/54). Lemma apex emarginate (1/52), or truncate (1/52), or obtuse (2/52), or acute (38/52), or acuminate (6/52), or attenuate (6/52), or apiculate (1/52); without ornament (53/54), or pubescent (1/54); muticous (35/54), or mucronate (7/54), or awned (14/54); 1 -awned (11/11). Palea not rolled (10/54), or tightly convolute around flower (44/54); 1–1.04–1.1 length of lemma; chartaceous (54/54); 7–11–20 -veined; without keels (21/54), or 1-keeled (2/54), or 2-keeled (32/54). Palea keels separated (27/32), or contiguous above a sulcus (5/32); smooth (33/34), or scabrous (1/34); eciliate (28/34), or ciliolate (1/34), or ciliate (5/34). Palea surface glabrous (50/54), or puberulous (1/54), or pubescent (3/54), or pilose (1/54). Palea apex entire (1/29), or dentate (28/29); muticous (47/54), or with excurrent keel veins (1/54), or awned (6/54). Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped (2/34), or distinct from fertile (32/34); 1 in number (28/28); male (2/13), or barren (12/13); rudimentary (25/27), or lanceolate (2/27), or ovate (1/27). Apical sterile lemmas muticous (31/32), or mucronate (1/32).

FLOWER Lodicules absent (15/48), or 1 (2/48), or 2 (2/48), or 3 (31/48), or several (1/48); glabrous (21/34), or ciliate (13/34). Anthers 4 (1/54), or 6 (53/54). Stigmas 2 (3/52), or 3 (51/52). Ovary with a steeple-like appendage (54/54); glabrous (16/22), or pubescent on apex (1/22), or pubescent all over (5/22).

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp (54/54); fusiform (3/18), or ellipsoid (1/18), or oblong (10/18), or ovoid (2/18), or obovoid (2/18). Embryo 0.05 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear (1/1); 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Africa (1), or Temperate Asia (12), or Tropical Asia (51), or Pacific (3).

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 16th November 2012.