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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Chrysopogon schmidianus

HABIT Perennial. Culms erect; 50 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths 10–12 cm long; keeled; striately veined. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 10–15 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins ciliate; hairy at base. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle open; ovate; 9–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; whorled at lower nodes. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Racemes bearing a triad of spikelets; 1 fertile spikelets on each.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; 1.6–1.8 mm long; ciliate; with red hairs; with 2–2.5 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 7 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; 7 -veined; awned; one glume awned. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6–9 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; pilose; base acute.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; purple; without keels. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 7 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; 2.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 30 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn pubescent. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Camus 1997.

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