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.

Chloris subdolichostachya

HABIT Perennial. Stolons present. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–70 cm long. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths keeled; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 2 mm long. Leaf-blades 10–20 cm long; 1.5–3 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; deciduous as a whole. Peduncle disarticulating; disarticulating above uppermost sheath.

Racemes 5–16; digitate; unilateral; 3–17.6 cm long. Rhachis subterete. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous; regular.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 2–3 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes similar; reaching apex of florets, or exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.5–2.5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; 1–1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or elliptic; laterally compressed; 2.2–2.9 mm long; cartilaginous; light brown, or black; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 2–5 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; oblong; 1.7–2.2 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas truncate, or obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 1–2 mm long; 1 per spikelet in number.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; dorsally compressed; trigonous.

DISTRIBUTION North America: north-central USA, southwest USA, and south-central USA.

NOTES Cynodonteae. Man US Gr 1997.

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