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.

Lophopogon kingii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pilose. Culms 10–25 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 10–20 cm long; 4–6 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2; paired; appressed back to back; oblong; 1.8 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs red. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip oblique.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; ciliate; tip rectangular.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; 3–5 in number (lower raceme); 3–5 in upper raceme; paired with a fertile pedicelled spikelet; subsessile; male; cuneate; 5 mm long; equalling fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; pilose; with red hairs; lemmas awnless.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base truncate; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume cuneate; 4.5 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume surface with transverse tufts of hair. Lower glume apex dentate; 3 -fid; truncate. Upper glume elliptic; 5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy between veins. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume hairs red. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 5 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; hyaline; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; acute. Fertile florets bisexual, or female. Fertile lemma elliptic; 3.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.25 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 12 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 3.5 mm long; glabrous. Palea hyaline.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 2.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Bor.

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