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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 lancifolius

HABIT Annual; mat forming. Culms rambling; slender; 5–30 cm long. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base cordate. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or ovate; 1–4 cm long; 3–10 mm wide; flaccid.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–9; digitate; 1–2 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs lengthening towards internode tip; 1–2(–3) mm long. Rhachis internodes linear; 1 mm long.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; 1–1.5 mm long; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed, or represented by barren pedicels (rarely); lanceolate; 1–2(–3) mm long; shorter than fertile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 2–3(–5) mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; 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. Lower glume surface convex; asperulous. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; 1-keeled; keeled above. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0.5–1.5 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined; obtuse. Fertile lemma lanceolate; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.2 way up back of lemma; geniculate; 6–10 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 2; 0.3–0.6 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia and China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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