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 plicata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or decumbent; robust; 45–130 cm long; 3–6 mm diam. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaf-sheaths keeled; papillose; pilose; with tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 3 mm long. Leaf-blade base tapering to the midrib. Leaf-blades lanceolate (narrowly); tapering towards sheath; plicate; 10–40 cm long; 1–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface papillose; rough on both sides; glabrous, or pilose, or hispid; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; dense; 15–33 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 4–8 cm long; sterile at the tips. Panicle axis scabrous. Panicle branches flexuous; pubescent in axils.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles. Involucral bristles persistent; flexible; glabrous. Pedicels reduced to a stump.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; dorsally compressed; acute; 3–4 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, or orbicular; 0.25–0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex truncate, or obtuse. Upper glume oblong; 0.5–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; with chartaceous margins; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret 1 length of fertile lemma; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; gibbous; without keel. Lemma surface unwrinkled, or rugose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex apiculate.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia.

NOTES Paniceae. Philips 2000.

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