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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Melinis amethystea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pubescent, or pilose; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 28–100 cm long; 0.7–2(–2.5) mm diam.; 1–3 -noded. Culm-nodes bearded. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.2–0.3(–0.6) mm long. Leaf-blades conduplicate, or involute; (7–)15–70 cm long; 3–7 mm wide; stiff.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; dense; 5–27 cm long; 1.8–5 cm wide. Panicle branches capillary; scaberulous; pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels bearing a few hairs; hairy at tip.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; gibbous; 3.3–5.5 mm long; with hairs extending 2 mm beyond apex; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes (0.2–0.4mm).

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; (0.2–)0.5–1 mm long; 0.1–0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; gibbous; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; much thinner above; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface villous; hairy below. Upper glume apex acute and rostrate; mucronate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; much thinner above; 5–7 -veined; villous; hairy below; rostrate; mucronate. Palea of lower sterile floret pilose. Fertile lemma oblong; laterally compressed; 2.5 mm long; cartilaginous; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat; ciliate. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; cartilaginous; without keels. Palea surface pilose (above).

FLOWER Stigmas laterally exserted.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FTA.

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