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.

Dichanthium mccannii

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 20–45 cm long. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 6–12 cm long; 5–12 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; with tubercle-based hairs.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1–4; single, or paired, or digitate; 3–5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; without a translucent median line; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; 6–8 in number; barren, or male; elliptic, or oblong; 3.5–4.5 mm long. Basal sterile spikelet glumes winged on keel; tuberculate on margins and ciliate on margins.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes tuberculate on margins; ciliate on margins. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; dorsally compressed; obtuse; 3.5–4.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels. Lower glume surface tuberculate (along fringe); with a transverse fringe of hair. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled; 3 -veined.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 25–30 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. De Wet 1993.

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