Bothriochloa decipiens

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–100 cm long; 5–9 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth, or papillose. Culm-nodes purple; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths loose; keeled; glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.75–1.5 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades flat, or revolute; 6–25 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–5; digitate; 4–7 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; villous on margins. Rhachis hairs lengthening towards internode tip; 3–5 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear; 2.5–3.5 mm long. 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; 2.5–3.5 mm long; with a translucent median line (also present in internodes); villous; hairy all along but hairs longer above; with 3–5 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by single glumes; linear; 2.5–3.75 mm long; shorter than fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes 5–7 -veined; without depressions; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4.75–5.25 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; attached transversely. Spikelet callus hairs 0.5–1 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume surface flat; pitted; pilose; hairy below. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous; rough at apex.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 0.6 length of spikelet; hyaline; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma linear; 1.75–2 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 15–24 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 1; 1.5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl NSW 1993.

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