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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.
Paspalum clipeum
HABIT Annual. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 3–11 cm long; 0.5–1.1 mm diam.; 3–4 -noded. Culm-internodes solid; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes purple; glabrous. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths 2–6 cm long; keeled; striately veined; glabrous on surface, or hirsute. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.7–0.9 mm long; truncate, or obtuse. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3–5 cm long; 5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or hirsute. Leaf-blade margins ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Peduncle 1.5–4 cm long; glabrous.
Racemes 1–2; single, or paired; erect; unilateral; 1–2 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 0.8–1 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; 0.8–0.9 mm wide. Spikelet packing crowded. Raceme-bases brief; pilose.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1–1.2 mm long; glabrous, or puberulous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets orbicular, or obovate; dorsally compressed; 2.4–2.5 mm long; 1.8–2.3 mm wide; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume orbicular, or obovate; 2.4–2.5 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; light green; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume primary vein conspicuous. Upper glume surface puberulous; hairy in the middle. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; obovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; obtuse. Fertile lemma orbicular, or obovate; 2.4 mm long; indurate; yellow; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma margins involute. Palea embraced by lemma; involute; indurate.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 0.8 mm long; yellow.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid; dorsally compressed; plano-convex; 1.6 mm long; pallid. Hilum linear; 0.5 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.
NOTES Paniceae. Rua et al 2009.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
