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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.
Andropogon chinensis
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 60–200 cm long. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or erect; 0–4 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 10–40 cm long; 1–8 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 4–8 cm long.
Racemes 2; paired; 3–7(–10) cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs 1–3 mm long. Rhachis internodes cuneate. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform; with simple rim.
Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels cuneate; ciliate; with 1–3 mm long hairs.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate, or elliptic; dorsally compressed; 4–7 mm long; shorter than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes membranous; glabrous to pilose; acute; awned; both glumes awned; with (2–)4–10 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; laterally compressed; 5–8 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; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled dorsally. Lower glume surface deeply depressed; glabrous. Upper glume linear; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Upper glume awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn (1–)4–12 mm long.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 20–35 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea oblong; 0 -veined; without keels.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia and China. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.
NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
