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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 morichalense
HABIT Perennial. Stolons present. Culms decumbent; 13–25 cm long; spongy; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes 13–25 cm long; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous, or pubescent. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths 2–8 cm long; keeled; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.6–2 mm long; truncate. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades spreading, or reflexed; linear, or lanceolate; 3.5–11 cm long; 1.5–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Peduncle 2 cm long.
Racemes 1–2; single, or paired; unilateral; 3–6 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; foliaceous; folded longitudinally to embrace spikelets; 1.1–3.5 mm wide; scaberulous on margins. Spikelet packing abaxial; lax; 1.1–1.2 their length apart; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.3–0.5 mm long; scabrous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; concavo-convex; subacute; 2.1–2.9 mm long; 0.9–1.1 mm wide; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume elliptic; 1.1–1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2.1–2.8 mm long; indurate; pallid; shiny; without keel. Lemma surface smooth. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute; papillose. Palea involute; indurate.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.3 mm long; truncate. Anthers 3; 0.5–0.8 mm long; purple. Stigmas 2; purple.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 1.6–1.8 mm long. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.66 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.
NOTES Paniceae. Davidse 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
