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.

Capillipedium laoticum

HABIT Annual. Culms 70–80 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths striately veined. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 15–20 cm long; 2 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle open; oblong; 8–9 cm long. Panicle axis glabrous. Panicle branches hirsute (2–3mm hairs); hairy at tip.

Racemes 8–10 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2–3 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform; 0.75 length of fertile spikelet.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; 0.75 length of fertile spikelet; with a translucent median line (also present in internodes); ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; oblong; 3 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; 8–9 -veined; scaberulous; muticous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 1; enclosed by glumes; 1 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 3.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base obtuse; attached transversely. Spikelet callus hairs 0.33 length of spikelet.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; pallid; 2-keeled; keeled obtusely. Lower glume surface concave; asperulous; rough above. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate, or oblong; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn geniculate; 35–40 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 5 mm long; glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Camus 1997.

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