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.

Bothriochloa hybrida

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 30–80 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous; hairless except near base.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes digitate; 6–11 cm long; with branchlets at base of longer racemes. Central inflorescence axis 0.6–5.5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; villous on margins. Rhachis hairs 5–7 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip transverse.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; with a translucent median line (also present in internodes); villous; hairy all along but hairs longer above; with 5–7 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; linear, or lanceolate; 2.2–3.6 mm long; shorter than fertile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 4.5–6.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 5 -veined. Lower glume surface flat; pitted; pubescent; hairy below. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 18–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION North America: south-central USA.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Gould 2001.

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