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.

Duthiea bromoides

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 25–80 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 6 mm long. Leaf-blades involute; 5–35 cm long; 2.5–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; scabrous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; hardened.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle antrorsely scabrous above.

Racemes 1; single; drooping; unilateral; 2.5–4 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2–9 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis subterete; scabrous on surface.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 2–5 mm long; scabrous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets represented by a single scale; 1 in number; 2–5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 10–22 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; clavate; obscured by lemmas; pilose. Floret callus evident; pubescent; obtuse; disarticulating obliquely.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture; gaping. Lower glume elliptic; 0.9–1 length of upper glume; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 5–6 -veined. Lower glume surface asperulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; with hyaline margins; 1-keeled; 7–10 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 14 mm long; membranous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 10–11 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; villous; hairy below. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 12–15 mm long overall; with twisted column. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Palea surface pilose. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2; terminally exserted; papillose. Styles 5 mm long; connate below; 1 of their length connate.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Duthieeae. Bor.

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