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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 liebmannii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 50–100 cm long. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long; brown. Leaf-blades 10–30 cm long; 2–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle glabrous.

Racemes 4–5; digitate; 2–4 cm long; bearing 5–10 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; plumose on margins. Rhachis hairs 6–8 mm long. Rhachis internodes filiform; 3 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; cupuliform; with simple rim.

Spikelets ascending, or spreading; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; 3–4 mm long; plumose; with 6–8 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas; linear; 1–2 mm long; shorter than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; acute; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3.5–4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; 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 oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma lanceolate; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 13–17 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous.

FLOWER Anthers 1.

DISTRIBUTION North America: southeast USA and Mexico.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl Nov Gal 1994.

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