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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Thaumastochloa rubra

HABIT Annual. Culms 20–45 cm long; 4–6 -noded. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 1.5–5 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear. Peduncle straight; 0.5–2 cm long; retrorsely scabrous above; glabrous; widened at apex; disarticulating; disarticulating above uppermost sheath; base pungent.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 0.9–2.7 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing (1–)2 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile but the lowest internode fused to peduncle; subcylindrical and excavated; 0.7 mm wide; glabrous on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing abaxial. Rhachis internodes oblong; 4–5 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform.

Spikelets sunken; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels fused to internode; united wholly.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels.

Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 3–4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus glabrous; base truncate; with central boss; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; indurate; 2-keeled; keeled laterally; 7 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume surface convex, or flat. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; coriaceous; with hyaline margins; without keels.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret hyaline. Fertile lemma hyaline; without keel; 2 -veined. Palea hyaline.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Koning.

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