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.

Tricholaena teneriffae

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rootstock evident. Culms geniculately ascending; 10–90 cm long; wiry. Culm-internodes distally glabrous, or pilose. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.4–1 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 2–15 cm long; 1–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; dense; 3–15 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 2.5–3.5 mm long; with hairs extending (0.9–)1.3–7 mm beyond apex; falling entire; readily shedding fertile florets. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.1–0.75(–1) mm long; 0.05–0.3 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; (3–)5 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy generally, or below; with tubercle-based hairs. Upper glume hairs white. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5(–7) -veined; pilose; hairy all along, or below; with tubercle-based hairs; bearing white hairs; acute; mucronate. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2–3 mm long; cartilaginous; pallid; shiny; without keel; 3–5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3. Stigmas terminally exserted.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: western Asia and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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