Apluda mutica

HABIT Perennial. Culms scandent, or decumbent, or prostrate; 30–300 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base tapering to the midrib. Leaf-blades 5–25 cm long; 2–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 3–40 cm long; lax. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole ovate; 3.5–10 cm long; membranous.

Racemes 1; single; bearing a triad of spikelets. Rhachis obsolete.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; flattened; subequal; 2–4 mm long; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary and well-developed (pair unequal); male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2–5 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes herbaceous; acute; muticous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 2–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus oblong (bulbous); 0.5–2.5 mm long; base obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; much thinner above; without keels; keel-less except near apex; winged on keel; winged narrowly; 13 -veined. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume lanceolate; gibbous; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 5–9 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 0.9 length of spikelet; hyaline; 3 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 4 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex entire, or lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.6 of lemma length; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; straight, or geniculate; 4–12 mm long overall; without a column, or with twisted column. Palea hyaline; 0 -veined; without keels.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern and northwestern.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FW 1995.

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