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.

Elionurus euchaetus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 70–150 cm long. Culm-internodes distally pubescent. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths pubescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 20–30 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 30–60 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 2–4 cm long. Peduncle scaberulous above.

Racemes 1; single; 7–8 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; villous on surface. Rhachis hairs 3–4 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear; 6 mm long. Rhachis internode tip oblique; flat; with simple rim.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; villous; tip rectangular.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; 7 -veined; glabrous; acuminate; awned; both glumes awned; with 6–20 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 9.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; 2.5 mm long; pilose; base acute; attached obliquely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; with oil streaks; 2-keeled; 9 -veined. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 2 -awned. Lower glume awn 20 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 5.5 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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