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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.
Saccharum villosum
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; robust; 125–200 cm long; 5–10 mm diam. Culm-internodes solid; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous, or bearded. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose, or hispid. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 4–7 mm long. Leaf-blades 45–75 cm long; 10–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Peduncle pubescent above.
Panicle open; oblong; dense; 25–35 cm long; 4–7 cm wide. Panicle axis villous.
Racemes 6–12 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear; 4–10 mm long.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal. Pedicels linear; 2–5 mm long; ciliate.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 6–7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs white; 8–10 mm long; 1.3–1.4 length of spikelet.
GLUMES Glumes similar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; 2-keeled; 4 -veined. Lower glume surface flat; pilose. Lower glume margins ciliate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 4.5 mm long; hyaline; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5 mm long; hyaline. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy below. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn straight; 6–9 mm long overall.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate. Anthers 3; 0.4 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
NOTES Andropogoneae. Gr Bahia 1994.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
