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.

Trachys copeana

HABIT Annual, or perennial; short-lived. Culms decumbent; 20–40 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths 2–3.5 cm long; longer than adjacent culm internode; pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.6–0.8 mm long. Leaf-blade base truncate. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; flat, or involute; 4–4.5 cm long; 4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; densely hairy; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acute, or acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle 5–8 cm long; pilose above.

Racemes 2(–3); paired; unilateral; 4–5.5 cm long; secondarily branched; secondary branches glomerate. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; broadly winged; foliaceous; 1.3–2 mm wide.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 3 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; 0.6–1 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 4–4.2 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures (rhachis segment and 3 spikelets together).

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.3–0.4 mm long; 0.1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume lanceolate; 1.8–3 mm long; 0.25 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate, or ovate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; much thinner on margins; 11–13 -veined; prominently veined; with veins transversely connected at apex; acute. Palea of lower sterile floret membranous; 1.4 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate; 3.2–3.8 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; oblong; 0.4–0.5 mm long; membranous. Anthers 3; 1.3–1.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 1.6–2 mm long. Embryo 0.5 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Paniceae. Kabeer & Nair 2007.

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