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.

Setaria globoidea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rootstock evident. Culms erect; 30–70 cm long; 3–4 -noded. Culm-internodes channelled. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches sparse; arising from mid culm and upper culm. Leaf-sheaths keeled; striately veined; smooth, or scaberulous. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.75 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 10–20 cm long; 3–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–10; borne along a central axis; appressed; flexuous; unilateral; 2–5.5 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; simple, or secondarily branched. Central inflorescence axis 7–18 cm long; tip filiform. Rhachis angular; scabrous on margins; terminating in a barren extension; extension bristle-like. Spikelet packing abaxial; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets orbicular; globose; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 3.5–4.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; clasping; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume orbicular; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 9–13 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; orbicular; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 9–11 -veined; with cross-veins; sulcate; acute. Palea of lower sterile floret 1 length of lemma. Fertile lemma ovate; 3.5–4.5 mm long; indurate; pallid; without keel. Lemma surface granulose; rough in lines. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea reflexed at apex; indurate; 2-keeled.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; orbicular. Embryo 0.66 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Paniceae. Fl NSW 1993.

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