Elymandra lithophila

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; slender; 30–100 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule an eciliate membrane, or a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long; scarious; truncate. Leaf-blades 3–20 cm long; 2–6 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty (1–3 raceme-pairs). Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 5–15 cm long; scarious; glabrous, or pilose. Peduncle glabrous, or hirsute above.

Racemes 2; paired; 2.5–7 cm long; bearing 3–8 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; glabrous on margins. Spikelet packing lax. Rhachis internodes filiform. Rhachis internode tip oblique. Raceme-bases filiform; unequal (the longer measured); 5–10 mm long; glabrous, or hirsute.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; lower raceme 2 in number; 2 in upper raceme; barren, or male; 6 mm long; smaller than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes villous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate (olive green); 7–9.5 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus oblong; 1–1.5 mm long; truncate. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; villous; with white hairs; acute. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; subterete; 7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; 1–1.5 mm long; pubescent; base obtuse; attached obliquely. Spikelet callus hairs white.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels. Lower glume surface villous. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 3–5 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma linear; 4–4.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 12–21 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn hispidulous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical. South America: Brazil.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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