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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Acritochaete volkensii

HABIT Annual; culms solitary. Culms decumbent; 30–60 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades linear to lanceolate; 3–14 cm long; 4–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–4; borne along a central axis; distant; unilateral; 3–9 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 5–15 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing adaxial; irregular.

Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5–6.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5–1.5 mm long; 0.1–0.25 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 4.5–5.5 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface setose; with tubercle-based hairs. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 10–20 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; setose; with tubercle-based hairs; acuminate; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret flexuous (tangled); 10–30 mm long. Fertile lemma lanceolate; laterally compressed; 4.5–5.5 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–2 mm long overall. Palea chartaceous; without keels.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong. Disseminule comprising a spikelet.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FW 1995.

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