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.

Eulalia mackinlayi

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths villous, or woolly; with dark brown hairs; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths, or fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 150–200 cm long. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 1–1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades involute; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–4; digitate; 10–16 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs lengthening towards internode tip; white; 3–4 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear; 4.5 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; cupuliform.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; angular; 4–5 mm long; ciliate; hairy all along but hairs longer above; with white hairs; with 3–4 mm long hairs.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 6–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus 0.5 mm long; pubescent; base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; dark brown; 2-keeled. Lower glume surface concave; hirsute; hairy below (mainly near keels). Lower glume margins ciliate (below). Lower glume hairs white; 3–4 mm long. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume muticous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret linear; 1 length of spikelet; ciliolate on margins; acuminate. Fertile lemma oblong; 1 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; bigeniculate; 20–25 mm long overall; with twisted column; limb puberulous. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC 1996.

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