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.

Vietnamochloa aurea

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms 10–25 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths ribbed; glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.25 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; flat, or involute; 0.5–1 cm long; 1.5–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle 7–15 cm long.

Racemes 3–5; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1–2 cm long; bearing 3–7 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing lax, or distant.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or pedicelled. Pedicels 0.5–1 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4–4.25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent; acute.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.5–4 mm long; 0.9–1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.9–4.1 mm long; 1.3–1.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3–3.2 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein pubescent. Lemma lateral veins close to margins. Lemma hairs yellow, or tawny. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 1.5–1.75 mm long overall. Palea bowed outwards; 3 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on flanks; hairy below. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Rhachilla extension 0.75 length of fertile floret.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid; dorsally compressed; 1.5 mm long; light brown. Embryo 0.33–0.5 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Cynodonteae. Veldkamp 2001.

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