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.

Eulalia contorta

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; slender; 20–50 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform, or linear; flat, or involute; 10–30 cm long; 1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–20; digitate; 4–6 cm long. Rhachis tough, or fragile at the nodes; subterete; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs lengthening towards internode tip; white. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip transverse.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled, or sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; angular; ciliate.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 1.5–2.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus square; 0.4 mm long; pilose; base obtuse; attached transversely. Spikelet callus hairs white; 0.4–0.8 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; much thinner above; 2-keeled; keeled above; keeled obtusely. Lower glume primary vein ciliolate. Lower glume intercarinal veins absent. Lower glume surface concave. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; truncate, or obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume margins eciliate, or ciliolate. Upper glume apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 7–15 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 0.75–1.25 mm long; 0.5 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins; obtuse. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 20–30 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn hispidulous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.6–0.7 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia. Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Bor.

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