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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.
Alloeochaete gracillima
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped moderately. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb; woolly; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms 30–66 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 2.5 mm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.2 mm long. Leaf-blades convolute; 15–30 cm long; 4–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle contracted; linear, or lanceolate; 8–16 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 1–3 -nate. Panicle branches scaberulous; rough distally.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or lanceolate; laterally compressed; 8–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus bearded; obtuse.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, or ovate; 4–6.3 mm long; 0.7–0.9 length of upper glume; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume surface puberulous. Lower glume apex acuminate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 0.5 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 3.7–7 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex acuminate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0.5 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile florets with the lowest dissimilar (hair tufts weaker). Fertile lemma elliptic; 7–8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface with marginal hair tufts; bearing 2 hair tufts in all. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 5–10 mm long overall; with twisted column. Lateral lemma awns arising on apex of lobes; 1.5–2 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 0.8 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; glabrous. Anthers 3; 1.8 mm long.
FRUIT Disseminule comprising a floret.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.
NOTES Arundineae. Kabuye.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
