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.

Panicum sciurotoides

HABIT Annual. Culms decumbent; 10–85 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes hollow; 2.5–11.5 cm long; distally glabrous, or hispid. Culm-nodes constricted; black; pubescent. Lateral branches ample; arising from upper culm. Leaf-sheaths 3–6.5 cm long; striately veined; glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Collar pilose. Leaf-blade base amplexicaul; asymmetrical. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or ovate; 3–10 cm long; 8–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent, or hirsute; hairy adaxially; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins scabrous; ciliate; hairy at base.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; pyramidal; effuse; 2.5–9 cm long; 1.5–8.5 cm wide. Panicle axis villous. Panicle branches flexuous; glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.5–1.9 mm long; 0.5–0.7 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.4–0.9 mm long; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1–3(–7) -veined. Lower glume apex truncate to acute. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7–9 -veined; pubescent; acute. Palea of lower sterile floret 0.5 length of lemma. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.2–1.7 mm long; 0.4–0.6 mm wide; indurate; shiny; without keel. Lemma surface papillose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea involute; indurate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 1.1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.

NOTES Paniceae. Zuloaga 1994.

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