Acroceras munroanum

HABIT Perennial. Stolons present. Culms decumbent, or prostrate, or rambling; 25–50 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths loose (tight towards apex); 1–3 cm long; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; striately veined; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; erose; obtuse. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded, or cordate. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3–8 cm long; 4–10 mm wide; glandular. Leaf-blade midrib evident; prominent beneath. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous; tuberculate-ciliate, or glabrous (rarely); hairy at base. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–4; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 2–4 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 5–8 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; smooth on surface; scaberulous on margins. Spikelet packing lax; irregular.

Spikelets ascending; solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; angular; unequal; 1–6 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 3–4 mm long; falling entire. Spikelet callus glabrous; base truncate. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; clasping; 3.1 mm long; 0.66 length of spikelet; herbaceous; without keels; 5 -veined. Lower glume apex laterally pinched. Upper glume ovate; 3–4 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; herbaceous; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex laterally pinched.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 3–4 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; herbaceous; 7 -veined; laterally pinched at apex. Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; 3.3 mm long; indurate; pallid; 3 -veined. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex apiculate; laterally pinched and with a little green crest. Palea reflexed at apex; elliptic; involute; 1 length of lemma; indurate; 2 -veined. Palea apex lobed.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; obovate; 0.25 mm long; irregularly toothed. Anthers 2; 1 mm long.

FRUIT Disseminule comprising a spikelet.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.

NOTES Paniceae. Rev VJN 1993.

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