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 gracielae

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 70–130 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; outer margin glabrous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2.2–3 mm long; brown; truncate, or obtuse. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4–20 cm long; 3–13 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins ciliate; hairy at base.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes (1–)2–3; borne along a central axis; ascending; unilateral; 6–8.5 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 2.5–7.5 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; membranous; 3.7–4.2 mm wide; light-coloured (green & purple). Spikelet packing abaxial.

Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; the lower smaller. Pedicels oblong; 0.5 mm long; tip discoid.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; plano-convex; 3–4.2 mm long; 1–1.6 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy below. Upper glume margins villous. Upper glume hairs 2–4 mm long. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3 -veined; scabrous; rough above; pilose; hairy at base; villous on margins; bearing hairs 1–2.5 mm long; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.6–3.4 mm long; 1–1.3 mm wide; coriaceous; pallid; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma margins involute. Palea involute; coriaceous. Palea surface glabrous.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.3 mm long; membranous; truncate. Anthers 3; 2–2.5 mm long; purple.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Sulekic 2008.

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