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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
HABIT Perennial. Culms decumbent; 40–80 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 8–10 cm long; 6–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy adaxially, or on both sides. Leaf-blade margins ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 5–10; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 0.5–2 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 4–12 cm long. Rhachis angular; glabrous on surface, or pilose on surface. Spikelet packing contiguous; irregular.
Spikelets ascending; in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; angular; unequal.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 4–4.5 mm long; falling entire. Spikelet callus glabrous; base truncate.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 2–3 mm long; 0.7–0.8 times length of spikelet; herbaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 1 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 3.5–3.7 mm long; 0.9 times length of spikelet; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 times length of spikelet; herbaceous; 5 -veined; laterally pinched at apex. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3.5 mm long; indurate; pallid. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute; laterally pinched and with a little green crest. Palea reflexed at apex; elliptic; involute; 1 times length of lemma; indurate; 2 -veined.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.
NOTES Paniceae. Camus.
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Version: 5th June 2007.