Bothriochloa barbinodis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 60–120 cm long. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long; erose, or lacerate. Leaf-blades 25–30 cm long; 2–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Racemes numerous; digitate, or borne along a central axis; erect, or ascending; 4–9 cm long; with branchlets at base of longer racemes. Central inflorescence axis 5–9 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; villous on margins. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip transverse.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; with a translucent median line (also present in internodes); villous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; linear, or lanceolate; 2–5 mm long; shorter than fertile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 4.5–7.3 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels; keel-less except near apex. Lower glume surface flat; without pits, or pitted; pilose; hairy below. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 20–30 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Pacific: south-central and north-central. North America: north-central USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Gr Texas 1993.

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