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.

Triniochloa andina

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; slender; 50–80 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; striately veined; glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 15 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; 10–20 cm long; 1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially; pilose; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic; 10–11 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; distant; 1–2 -nate. Panicle axis glabrous.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; 11–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 2–3 mm long; 0.25 length of lemma.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 7–8 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; mid-green and purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 10–11 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; mid-green and purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; subterete; 11–12 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or asperulous; rough above. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.66 way up back of lemma; geniculate; 15–20 mm long overall; with twisted column. Palea 1 length of lemma; coriaceous. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; united; fleshy; truncate. Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America and western South America.

NOTES Meliceae. Luces 1996.

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