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.

Tarigidia axelrodii

HABIT Annual. Culms decumbent; 50 cm long; 1–2.3 mm diam.; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous. Leaf-sheaths 3.5–6 cm long; hirsute; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–2.7 mm long; erose; truncate. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 6.3–8.5 cm long; 5.5–7 mm wide; chartaceous. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle 35 cm long; glabrous.

Racemes 4–5(–8); borne along a central axis; closely spaced; appressed; unilateral; 3–4 cm long. Central inflorescence axis (1–)3–4.5 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; 0.6–1 mm wide; scabrous on margins. Spikelet packing crowded.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled. Pedicels 0.3–1 mm long; scabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 4.5–5 mm long; 1.2–1.3 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear, or lanceolate; (0.5–)1–1.5(–2.5) mm long; 0.25 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pilose. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 3–3.5 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy between veins. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; prominently veined; with unevenly spaced veins; pilose; hairy between veins but central interspaces glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4 mm long; 1 mm wide; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface striate; without germination flap. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea 2.3–2.7 mm long; cartilaginous.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; truncate. Anthers 3; 1.8–1.9 mm long; yellow. Stigmas purple; plumose. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 2.2–2.4 mm long. Embryo 0.6 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Caribbean.

NOTES Paniceae. Vega & Rugolo 2011.

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