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.

Setaria carinata

HABIT Annual. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms geniculately ascending; 11–28 cm long; 1–2 mm diam.; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths keeled; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.6–0.8 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 2.5–12 cm long; 3–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous; hairless except near base. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle spiciform; linear; 1–5 cm long; 0.7–1.1 cm wide. Primary panicle branches sterile at the tips. Panicle axis angular; scabrous.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles. Involucral bristles persistent; 9–10 per spikelet; with longest bristle scarcely emergent; (2–)4–5 mm long; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous. Pedicels reduced to a stump.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 2 mm long; 1.2–1.3 mm wide; with hairs extending 1.2–1.3 mm beyond apex; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins transversely connected at apex. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.5–0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5(–7) -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; acute. Palea of lower sterile floret 1 length of lemma. Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; 2 mm long; 1.2–1.3 mm wide; indurate; yellow; keeled. Lemma surface rugose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea involute; indurate. Palea surface rugose.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; plano-convex; 1.3 mm long. Embryo 0.8 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Nozava & Pensiero 2009.

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