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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.
Ehrharta dura
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short, or elongated; woody; scaly; glabrous. Butt sheaths dark brown; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal; flabellate. Culms erect; 25–80 cm long; 2–4 mm diam. Culm-internodes hollow. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1.5–3 mm long. Leaf-blades erect; lanceolate; flat, or conduplicate; 9–32 cm long; 4–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf.
Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or oblong; 7–20 cm long.
Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 9–16 mm long; 3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 2.5–6.5 mm long; 0.5–0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; pallid, or mid-green; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 3.5–7 mm long; 0.33–0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; pallid, or mid-green; without keels; 5–9 -veined. Upper glume apex truncate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 5–10 mm long; 0.5–0.66 length of fertile lemma; cartilaginous; 1-keeled; 3–11 -veined; ribbed; scabrous; attenuate; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 2–16 mm long. Lemma of upper sterile floret elliptic; 9–16 mm long; 1.5–2 length of lower sterile floret; cartilaginous; scabrous and ribbed; attenuate; awned. Awn of upper sterile floret 2–16 mm long. Fertile lemma elliptic; 8–14 mm long; cartilaginous; keeled; 3–5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex truncate; pubescent. Palea 0.75–1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous; ciliate; 2-toothed. Anthers 4, or 6; 7 mm long; yellow.
FRUIT Caryopsis 9 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: south.
NOTES Ehrharteae. Gibbs-Russell.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
