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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Anthephora cristata
HABIT Annual. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 50–100 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or hirsute. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3 mm long. Leaf-blades tapering towards tip; 5–10 cm long; 3–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; crenate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle spiciform; linear; 2.5–8 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; scaberulous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 3–8 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets sessile; 3–8 in the cluster. Involucre composed of imperfect spikelets; connate into a disc below (3–4mm diam); cuneate (conical); 3.5–6 mm long; base obtuse; base glabrous.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by single glumes; ovate; 3.5–6 mm long; longer than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes united below; coriaceous; thinner on margins; 7–15 -veined; scaberulous; glabrous; obtuse, or acute; muticous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3–4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume subulate; 0.5–0.75 length of spikelet. Upper glume margins ciliolate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7–9 -veined; scaberulous; puberulous; ciliolate on margins; acute, or acuminate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous; 1-keeled.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 2 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, and southern tropical.
NOTES Paniceae. FTA.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Involucral disc sharply rimmed.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
