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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Schizachyrium reedii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 100 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades erect; conduplicate, or involute; 15–20 cm long; 0.5–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib prominent beneath. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous; tuberculate-ciliate; hairy at base.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear; 2–5 cm long.

Racemes 1; single; 2–6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; villous on margins. Rhachis hairs 3–5 mm long. Rhachis internodes filiform; 3 mm long. 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; 3–4 mm long; villous; with 3–5 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas; linear; 4–5 mm long; as long as fertile, or longer than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; acuminate; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4 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 lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled; keeled laterally. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. 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; 10 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Caribbean.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Man Gr W Indies 1994.

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