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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 crossotos

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 25–40 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 3.5–7 cm long; 1.5–2 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 3–4 cm long.

Racemes 2; paired; 2–3 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; pubescent on surface; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes clavate. 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 clavate; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; lanceolate; 3.7–4.5 mm long; shorter than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; smooth; glabrous; acute; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; subterete; 4–5 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 elliptic, or oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 2-keeled; keeled dorsally. Lower glume intercarinal veins absent. Lower glume surface deeply depressed. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled. Upper glume muticous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 3.5 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3.5 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; 10–15 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea ovate; 1 mm long. Palea apex obtuse.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Cope 1993.

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