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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.
Cenchrus myosuroides
HABIT Perennial. Culms 50–200 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1.5–3.4 mm long. Leaf-blades 12–38 cm long; 4–13 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle spiciform; linear; dense (internodes 0.6–1.7mm); 6.5–23 cm long; 0.6–1.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; puberulous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1(–3) in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; connate into a disc below; globose; 3.8–8.1 mm long; base obconical (0.5–1.5mm); base glabrous. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; in one whorl; 3–5.8 mm long; flattened; rigid; retrorsely scaberulous; glabrous; spinose.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 3.8–5.6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1.5–3 mm long; 0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3–5 mm long; 0.75–0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 3.1–5.5 mm long; 0.9–1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3–7 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 3.8–5.4 mm long; coriaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 3–5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea coriaceous.
FLOWER Anthers 1.2–2.2 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION North America: south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
NOTES Paniceae. De Lisle.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
