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.

Paspalum adoperiens

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending; 35–95 cm long. Culm-internodes elliptical in section; ridged; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3 mm long. Leaf-blades ascending; 5–22 cm long; 8–16 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or hispid; with tubercle-based hairs.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; without bracts, or bracteate at branch bases.

Racemes 2–4; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 3–7.5 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–7 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 0.8 mm wide; with scattered hairs, or glabrous on surface. Spikelet packing crowded.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets orbicular, or obovate; dorsally compressed; plano-convex; obtuse; 2.1–2.5 mm long; 1.7–1.8 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one to two the lower present in some spikelets, or two; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.1–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic; 0.8 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume primary vein eciliate, or pubescent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; glabrous, or puberulous; hairy on veins; obtuse. Fertile lemma elliptic, or orbicular; 2–2.2 mm long; indurate; pallid; without keel. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Paniceae. Chase 1994.

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