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.

Dichanthium concanense

HABIT Perennial. Rootstock evident. Culms 50–60 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths without keel; smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; truncate. Leaf-blades 20–25 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–8; digitate; 5–7 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear; 2 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse. Raceme-bases filiform; simple, or dichotomously branched; 13–20 mm long; pilose; hairy at base.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; 2 mm long; without a translucent median line; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; lanceolate; 3.5–4 mm long; longer than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes 9 -veined.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3–3.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume surface flat. Lower glume margins ciliate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins; acute. Fertile lemma linear; 2.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 15–20 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Blatt & McCann 1994.

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