Oropetium minimum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 5–15 cm long. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate, or convolute; 2–5 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; arcuate, or flexuous, or watch-spring spiralled; smoothly terete; unilateral, or bilateral; 3–8 cm long. Rhachis fracturing into irregular segments; semiterete; 1 mm wide. Spikelet packing adaxial; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets sunken; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.5–4 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; parallel to lemmas, or recurved at apex. Lower glume oblong; 0.5 mm long; 0.1–0.2 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.5–4 mm long; 1.2–1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; without keels; (1–)3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 2–18 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; (1.5–)2–3 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; mucronate. Palea hyaline; 2 -veined.

FRUIT Caryopsis with tardily free pericarp; ellipsoid, or oblong; 1.2–2 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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