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.

Enteropogon prieurii

HABIT Annual. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 40–85 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane, or a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 10–30 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 4–9; digitate; unilateral; 4–12 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3–5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; pilose; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.2–1.5 mm long; 0.3–0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.2–4.5 mm long; 0.7–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3–5 mm long; cartilaginous; pallid, or dark brown; glandular on surface (beside keel); keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 7–25 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels tuberculate. Apical sterile florets 4–5 in number; barren; in a clump; oblong; 1.5–2.5 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 1.5–17 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; flattened; concavo-convex; 2–2.5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Cynodonteae. FTEA.

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