Anadelphia liebigiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 80–100 cm long. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades straight, or curved; conduplicate; 2 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous; hairless except near base. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 25–30 cm long; lax. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 2.5–4 cm long; scarious. Peduncle pilose above.

Racemes 1; single; 2–3 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 6–10 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Spikelet packing lax. Rhachis internodes filiform; 2.5 mm long. Rhachis internode tip oblique.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; 2–3 mm long; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels, or well-developed (2 spikelets per raceme); male; linear; 8–9.2 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus cuneate; obtuse. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; 9 -veined; pilose; acuminate. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 5–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus 0.8 mm long; pilose; base obtuse; attached obliquely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; light brown; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 6–8 -veined. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong; without keels. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 5 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 3.8–4.5 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined; obscurely veined; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma linear; 3.5–3.8 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 15–16 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 5 mm long; glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; oblong; 0.5 mm long; truncate.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Scholz 1997.

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