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.

Lasiacis rhizophora

HABIT Perennial. Culms prostrate; slender; 50–100 cm long; 2–3 mm diam.; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes solid; distally pubescent. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-sheaths puberulous; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 1–4 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.4–0.7(–1.1) mm long; glabrous on abaxial surface. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or elliptic; 8–17 cm long; 16–37 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; hispid; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 10–19(–24) cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 3–11 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous; pubescent in axils.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; tilted on the pedicel; dorsally compressed; 3.1–4 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume oblate; 1.4–2.1 mm long; 0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; black; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume surface woolly; hairy at apex. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; black; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume surface woolly; hairy at apex. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7–9 -veined; woolly; hairy at apex; obtuse. Palea of lower sterile floret 0.75 length of lemma. Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; 2.9–3.2 mm long; 1.7–2.2 mm wide; indurate; dark brown, or black; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse; with a shallow excavation and woolly. Palea indurate. Palea apex pubescent.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.6–1.9 mm long; pallid. Stigmas purple.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 2.2–2.4 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, and northern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Davidse.

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