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.

Axonopus anceps

HABIT Perennial. Culms erect; 60–200 cm long; 1–2 -noded. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaves without demarcation between sheath and blade. Leaf-sheaths 13–30 cm long; hirsute. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades erect, or ascending; persistent, or deciduous at the ligule; conduplicate; 20–50 cm long; 5–10 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or hirsute. Leaf-blade apex obtuse; soon splitting, or simple.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; with 1–2 peduncles per sheath. Peduncle 15–75 cm long.

Racemes numerous; 30–60; borne along a central axis; ascending; unilateral; 4–18 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 15–30 cm long. Rhachis angular; 0.3–0.5 mm wide; drab; glabrous on surface; scabrous on margins; glabrous on margins. Spikelet packing adaxial; 5.5–9 spikelets per cm. Raceme-bases brief; pubescent.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or pedicelled. Pedicels reduced to a stump; 0–0.5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or ovate; dorsally compressed; acute; 1.7–2 mm long; 0.7–0.9 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy between veins.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; 1 length of fertile lemma; 1 length of spikelet; 5 -veined; pubescent; hairy between veins. Fertile lemma 1.5–2 mm long; indurate; yellow, or light brown; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute; pubescent. Palea involute; indurate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.

NOTES Paniceae. Black 1994.

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