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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 ligulatus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 30–100 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5–3 mm long. Leaf-blades 10–25 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence simple, or compound; scanty; open. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary, or terminal; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 5–8 cm long.

Racemes 2(–4); paired; sinuous; 4–9 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; villous on margins, or plumose on margins. Rhachis hairs 2–5 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; villous, or plumose; with 2–5 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas, or containing empty lemmas; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5–7 mm long; as long as fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; acute; muticous, or awned; one glume awned; with 0–1 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5.5–7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1 mm long; pilose; base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 2-keeled; keeled laterally. Lower glume intercarinal veins absent, or obscure; 0–2 in number. Lower glume surface concave. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled. Upper glume muticous, or awned. Upper glume awn 0–1 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 lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.33–0.5 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 oblong.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: east tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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