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.

Microstegium fauriei

HABIT Annual. Culms decumbent; slender; 50–100 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes pubescent. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 5–20 cm long; 3–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 4–10; digitate; ascending, or spreading; 5–10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–2 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; glabrous on margins, or ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear; 5–8 mm long.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; 2–4 mm long; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4.5–5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus square; 0.3–0.5 mm long; pilose; base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled obtusely. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume intercarinal veins distinct; 2 in number. Lower glume surface with a longitudinal median groove. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume elliptic; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliolate. Upper glume awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0.5–1 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets with vestigial lower floret. Fertile lemma oblong; 1.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; flexuous; 22–25 mm long overall. Palea ovate; 2 mm long; hyaline. Palea apex obtuse.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.5–1.8 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Gr Japan 1996.

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