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 kuntzeana

HABIT Perennial. Culms geniculately ascending; 90–150 cm long. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches sparse. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 3–4 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 12–15; digitate; 3–8 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear; 2.5 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse. Raceme-bases filiform; 4–8 mm long.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; 2.5 mm long; with a translucent median line (also present in internodes); ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; lanceolate; 5 mm long; as long as fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes 9–11 -veined; pitted.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume surface flat; pitted. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; 1-keeled. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 4 mm long; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; 2.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 14–16 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Blatt & McCann 1994.

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