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Descriptions

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

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

Bothriochloa insculpta

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Stolons absent, or present. Culms decumbent, or rambling; 25–200 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 4–30 cm long; 2–8 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–20; digitate; 2–8 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 0–3 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip transverse. Raceme-bases linear.

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, or containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate, or oblong; 3.5–5 mm long; as long as fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes without depressions, or pitted (1–3 pits); glabrous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 0–1; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3–4.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; attached transversely.

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

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 15–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern. Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia. South America: Brazil.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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