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.

Andropogon pringlei

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; woody. Culms 100–120 cm long. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades involute; 20–25 cm long; 3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 5–6 cm long.

Racemes 2; paired; 3–6 cm long; bearing 5–10 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs 3 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear; 5–6 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; cupuliform; with simple rim.

Spikelets ascending; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; 5–6 mm long; ciliate; with 3 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas; linear; 2.5–6 mm long; shorter than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; acute; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 8–12 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled laterally. Lower glume intercarinal veins absent. Lower glume surface concave. Upper glume linear; membranous; 1-keeled. Upper glume muticous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma lanceolate; hyaline; without keel. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 17–18 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl Nov Gal 1994.

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