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.

Piptochaetium cabrerae

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 50–60 cm long; 3 -noded. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–3 mm long; entire, or bilobed. Leaf-blades flexuous; filiform; conduplicate; 12–18 cm long; 0.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 10–20 fertile spikelets.

Panicle contracted; linear; nodding; 12–20 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches 2–3 -nate; simple, or sparsely divided. Panicle axis smooth; puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels pubescent.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 2 mm long; pilose; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 12 mm long; 1.2 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; purple; without keels; 4–5 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins all falling short of apex. Lower glume apex attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 3–4 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 9–10 mm long; membranous; much thinner above; purple; without keels; 4–5 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins all falling short of apex. Upper glume apex attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 3 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblanceolate; laterally compressed; gibbous; 7–7.5 mm long; indurate; dark brown; keeled; lightly keeled. Lemma surface papillose. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex with an annular corona; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn eccentric; bigeniculate; 50 mm long overall; with twisted column; persistent. Column of lemma awn 15–20 mm long; pubescent. Palea 6 mm long; 0.9 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1.5 mm long. Anthers 3; 2.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Stipeae. Parodi 1997.

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