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 orientalis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect; 35–140 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 5–25 cm long; 2–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 7–20 cm long. Panicle branches villous (rufously); hairy at tip.

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; 0.75 length of fertile spikelet; villous; with dark brown hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 7–11 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; one glume awned; with 7–14 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7.5–9 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; 2.5–3 mm long; pubescent; base pungent.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 5–6 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels. Lower glume surface hispidulous; hairy at apex. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 13–17 mm long; hispidulous.

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; 40–70 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn pubescent; with 0.5–1 mm long hairs. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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