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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.
Loudetia kagerensis
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pubescent. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 25–90 cm long; wiry. Culm-internodes glaucous. Culm-nodes black. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 2.5–15 cm long; 1–4 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; bearing juvenile spikelets at emergence.
Panicle open; elliptic; 5–16 cm long. Panicle branches flexuous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 6–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5–1 mm long; pubescent; 2-toothed.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 3–5 mm long; 0.5 length of spikelet; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume surface setose; with tubercle-based hairs. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface setose; with tubercle-based hairs. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; lanceolate; 6–9 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; 3 -veined; setose; with tubercle-based hairs; obtuse. Fertile lemma oblong; 3.5–5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex entire; emarginate (shoulders less than 0.2mm); awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 20–30 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate; thickened.
FLOWER Anthers 2; anther tip smooth.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.
NOTES Arundinelleae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
