New! - Search other data sources for Andropogon alopecurus

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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.

Andropogon alopecurus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms rambling; slender; 30–40 cm long. Lateral branches sparse. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades 10–20 cm long; 1.5–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; 4–6.5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs on 2 margins. Rhachis internodes clavate; 4 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform; with simple rim.

Spikelets squeezed between internode and pedicel; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels cuneate; 4 mm long; ciliate; hairy on margins.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; linear; dorsally compressed; 3 mm long; shorter than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; muticous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 5–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled dorsally; keeled obtusely. Lower glume surface deeply depressed; glabrous. Upper glume linear; chartaceous; 1-keeled.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 6–8 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Gr Maur.

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