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.

Tripogon minimus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 4.5–28 cm long; wiry. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; flat, or conduplicate; 1–9 cm long; 0.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; erect; straight; unilateral; 2–8 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; 0.5 their length apart; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 2.6–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes villous; hairy below. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.8–2 mm long; 0.5–0.6 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume elliptic; 1.7–3.2 mm long; 1.4–1.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 1–2.3 mm long; membranous; mid-green and purple; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins extending close to apex. Lemma apex emarginate; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 0.1–0.7(–1.2) mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels winged; narrowly winged; ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.2–0.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; lanceolate; isodiametric; trigonous; 0.8–1.7 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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