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Descriptions

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

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

Andropogon africanus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 50–250 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 10–40 cm long; 2–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; open. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 7–10 cm long.

Racemes 2; paired; sinuous; 3–4 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs 1–2 mm long. Spikelet packing lax. Rhachis internodes filiform. Rhachis internode tip transverse; cupuliform; with simple rim.

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

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4–7 mm long; as long as fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; acute; awned; one glume awned; with 6 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; dorsally compressed; 4–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 2-keeled; keeled laterally. Lower glume intercarinal veins absent. Lower glume surface concave. Upper glume linear; membranous; 1-keeled. Upper glume muticous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 5 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.33–0.5 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 5–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous.

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

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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