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.

Echinolaena standleyi

HABIT Perennial. Culms prostrate, or rambling; 60–100 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes distally pubescent. Lateral branches ample. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths pubescent; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base without a false petiole, or with a false petiole; petiole 0.5–1.5 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4–6 cm long; 10–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface hispid; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–5; borne along a central axis; deflexed; unilateral; 1–2 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–8 cm long; glabrous. Rhachis subterete; glabrous on surface; terminating in a barren extension.

Spikelets pectinate; in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; acuminate; 5 mm long; falling entire; readily shedding fertile florets. Floret callus winged; with apical wings adnate to lemma; these appendages 0.5 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; clasping; 5 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; herbaceous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acuminate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume elliptic; 5 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 5 mm long; membranous; 5 -veined; glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3.5 mm long; indurate; pallid; shiny; without keel. Lemma surface with distinct germination flap. Lemma margins involute; covering most of palea. Palea involute; indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Paniceae. SAR 2003.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Uppermost raceme reduced to 1 spikelet.

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