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.

Eriochloa longiflora

HABIT Annual. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 15–30 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Lateral branches fastigiate. Leaf-sheaths inflated; longer than adjacent culm internode; striately veined; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1 mm long. Collar glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2–7 cm long; 5–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation prominent; with 7–9 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins smooth. Leaf-blade apex acute, or acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 4–7; borne along a central axis; appressed; flexuous; unilateral; 2–3 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 6–10 cm long. Rhachis angular; scaberulous on margins. Raceme-bases filiform; 2–8 mm long.

Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels clavate; angular; 1–3 mm long; bearing a few hairs; hairy at tip; with 1–2 mm long hairs.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 9.3–11 mm long; 1.6–1.85 mm wide; falling entire. Spikelet callus globular; incorporating lowest rhachilla internode with adnate lower glume; glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes two; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.3–0.5 mm long; 0.05 length of upper glume. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface villous; hairy below. Upper glume apex attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1–5 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 8–9 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of spikelet; 5 -veined; villous; hairy below; ciliolate on margins; attenuate. Fertile lemma lanceolate, or elliptic; 2.9–3 mm long; 1.2–1.4 mm wide; indurate; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute; pubescent; mucronate. Principal lemma awn 1–1.6 mm long overall. Palea involute; indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.15–1.3 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 2 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Paniceae. Blake 1995.

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