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.

Setaria mildbraedii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms geniculately ascending; 30 cm long; 3–6 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths loose; longer than adjacent culm internode; keeled; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades curved, or flexuous; 10–20 cm long; 1–2.8 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; 1–6 cm long; 0.2–0.3 cm wide; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches 1 -nate; 0.4–0.8 cm long; bearing spikelets almost to the base; sterile at the tips. Panicle axis scaberulous.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 2.5–4 mm long. Involucral bristles persistent; 1 in principal whorl; 2.5–4 mm long; flexible; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous. Pedicels 0.5 mm long; tip discoid.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; acute; 1.5–1.7 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 mm long; 0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; obtuse. Palea of lower sterile floret 0.5 mm long. Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 1.3–1.5 mm long; indurate; pallid; without keel. Lemma surface smooth. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. Hubbard 2001.

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