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.

Chrysopogon macleishii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely, or moderately, or densely. Butt sheaths pubescent. Culms erect; 100–150 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 3–6 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially (on midrib); glabrous to pubescent. Leaf-blade margins scabrous; tuberculate-ciliate. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; effuse; 13–20 cm long.

Racemes bearing a triad of spikelets; 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis obsolete.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; 0.5 length of fertile spikelet.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 8–11 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; both glumes awned; with lower glume with 10–14 mm long awn; awn glabrous, or pubescent. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; pubescent; base pungent.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 9–12 mm long; plumose.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 35–45 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. TAC 1997.

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