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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 ternarius

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pilose, or villous. Culms erect; 70–120 cm long. Lateral branches ample. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 20–30 cm long; 2–4 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; linear. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 5–6 cm long.

Racemes 2; paired; 3–6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; plumose on surface; plumose on margins. Rhachis hairs 3 mm long. Rhachis internodes filiform; 6–9 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; 4–5 mm long; 0.9 length of fertile spikelet; plumose.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by single glumes; linear; 1–2 mm long; shorter than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; acute; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5–7 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 lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 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; ciliate on margins. Fertile lemma lanceolate; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 15–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION North America: north-central USA, south-central USA, and southeast USA.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Gr Tex 1993.

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