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.

Silentvalleya chandwadensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; robust; 40–100 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths 5–15 cm long; smooth; hirsute. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; erose. Leaf-blades 20–90 cm long; 4–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins smooth. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 6–15; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 5–20 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 16 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing lax.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets obovate; laterally compressed; 4–7 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus 0.5 mm long; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 2–2.5 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1(–2) -veined. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Lower glume awn 0.2 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 3–4 mm long; 1.1–1.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0.5–1 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or elliptic; 2–3.6 mm long; 0.2–0.5 mm wide; membranous; 3 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 2–7 mm long overall. Palea ovate; 1.8–3 mm long; 0.9 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.3 mm long; membranous; truncate. Anthers 3; 1.4 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 1.5 mm long. Embryo 0.5 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Gosavi et al 2012.

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