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.

Arundinella pumila

HABIT Annual. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 7–50 cm long; 1–3 -noded. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3–15 cm long; 6–18 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; obovate; effuse; 5–25 cm long; 2–18 cm wide. Primary panicle branches profusely divided. Panicle branches capillary; scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 1.5–8 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 1.5–2.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent; obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume ovate; 1–1.5 mm long; 0.5–0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 1.5–2.5 mm long; 1.5–2.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pilose. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea; persisting on inflorescence. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1.3 length of fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined; truncate, or obtuse. Fertile lemma ovate; 1 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma surface asperulous. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 2–3 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 1–1.5 mm long. Palea with auriculate flaps; 1 length of lemma; coriaceous; 2 -veined. Palea surface asperulous.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.3 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, and northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.

NOTES Arundinelleae. FTA.

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