Bothriochloa biloba

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 50–100 cm long; 3–7 -noded. Culm-internodes channelled. Culm-nodes glabrous. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or revolute; 7–20 cm long; 3–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–6; digitate; 4–10 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; glabrous on surface; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs 4.5–6 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip transverse. Raceme-bases brief; pilose; hairy in axils.

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); ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas; linear, or lanceolate; 4.2–5.7 mm long; shorter than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 6.5–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base obtuse; attached transversely. Spikelet callus hairs 2 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 13–15 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume surface concave; asperulous; pilose; hairy below. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume surface asperulous; rough above. Upper glume mucronate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate, or ovate; 0.66–0.75 length of spikelet; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; 3–4.3 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with filiform lobes; incised 0.25–0.33 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 20–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea lanceolate; 0.25–0.33 length of lemma.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Vickery.

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