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.

Valiha perrieri

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated; pachymorph. Culms erect; slender; inclined at the tip; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Bud complement 1. Branch complement many; in a clump; apparently arising below the node; with 1 branch dominant. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4.5–7 cm long; 9–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; paniculate; 2.5–3.5 cm long; lax; with glumaceous subtending bracts; without axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; with 2-keeled prophylls.

Spikelets appressed, or ascending.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension, or with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; subterete, or laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 2.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 6 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 4 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 9 -veined. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 10 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 19 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy above. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or ovate; 18 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 21 -veined. Lemma surface pilose; hairy above. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 18 mm long; chartaceous. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 6 mm long; membranous; acute. Anthers 6. Stigmas 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with tardily free pericarp; oblong.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.

NOTES Bambuseae. Dransfield 1998.

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