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Descriptions

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

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

Arthraxon antsirabensis

HABIT Annual; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms decumbent; 15–90 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes pubescent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base amplexicaul. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 1.5–6 cm long; 4–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose. Leaf-blade margins tuberculate-ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–3; paired, or digitate; 3–6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; glabrous on margins, or ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform; 4 mm long.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; 0.2–0.5 mm long.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 6–7.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base truncate; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; without keels; 9 -veined. Lower glume surface scabrous; rough above. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; 1-keeled; keeled above; 7 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2–2.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.2 way up back of lemma; geniculate; 10–12 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Bosser 1993.

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