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.

Eriochrysis holcoides

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths withering, or persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 50–70 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaves basal and cauline. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 3–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acute, or acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes borne along a central axis; closely spaced; in a multilateral false spike; appressed; linear to oblong; 0.5–2 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 6–15 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip clavate.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; the upper smaller (female). Pedicels linear; 2–2.2 mm long; ciliate; with yellow hairs; tip discoid.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; (4–)5–7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base and with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs yellow; 1 mm long; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume elliptic; 4–7 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels. Lower glume surface flat; glabrous. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume hairs yellow; 0.5–1 mm long. Lower glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 4.5 mm long; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins; ciliate on margins. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 0 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex attenuate. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis oblong; 1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl Cat.

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