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.

Neyraudia arundinacea

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short; scaly. Culms erect; 200–400 cm long; 5–10 mm diam. Culm-internodes solid. Leaves cauline. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; 30–60 cm long; 5–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous. Leaf-blade apex filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; dense; 30–80 cm long; 8–12 cm wide. Primary panicle branches profusely divided. Panicle branches angular; scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite. Floret callus evident; 0.2–0.4 mm long; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.2–3 mm long; 0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.6–3.2 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3.5–4.5 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma hairs 2 mm long. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with linear lobes; incised 0.1–0.2 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; curved; 1.5–2.5 mm long overall. Palea 0.75 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; fleshy. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear; isodiametric; biconvex. Embryo 0.4 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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