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.

Tragus andicola

HABIT Annual. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 4–30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.8–1 mm long. Leaf-blades 1.5–6 cm long; 1.5–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; tuberculate-ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes numerous; borne along a central axis; closely spaced; in a multilateral false spike; spreading; cuneate; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2–5 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 2–10 cm long; pubescent. Rhachis evident; deciduous from axis; subterete; terminating in a barren extension; extension subulate; extension 0.3–2 mm long. Raceme-bases linear; 0.2–0.5 mm long; pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.8–4.2 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2–0.4 mm long; 0.1 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 2.8–4.2 mm long; 1.3–1.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins thickened; ribbed. Upper glume surface with hooked spines; rough on veins. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2.2–2.8 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy in the middle. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 1.7–2 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined. Palea apex erose.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; 0.3–0.4 mm long; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; dorsally compressed; 1.4–1.7 mm long. Embryo 0.5 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Cynodonteae. Zapata & Sulekic 2005.

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