GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Anadelphia trepidaria

HABIT Annual. Culms 30–60 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 3–8 cm long; 1 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 15–30 cm long; lax. Inflorescence comprising only a few spikelets; comprising 1 fertile spikelets; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole linear; 1.2–2 cm long; scarious; glabrous, or pilose. Peduncle 0.4–0.8 cm long.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; 1.5 mm long; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels, or well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; 4.5–6 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus linear; 1.5–2 mm long; truncate. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; 7–9 -veined; glabrous; acuminate; muticous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 3.5–5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1 mm long; pubescent; base obtuse, or acute; attached obliquely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins distinct. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume apex entire; truncate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 6 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 3 mm long; hyaline; 0–2 -veined; ciliate on margins; obtuse. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 20–30 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 10–17 mm long; glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTA.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.