Bothriochloa pertusa

HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Stolons present. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–60 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes glabrous, or bearded. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 5–30 cm long; 2.5–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or hirsute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–8(–13); digitate; 2.5–5(–7.5) cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–3 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; containing empty lemmas, or male; elliptic; 3.8 mm long; as long as fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes pitted (1–2 pits); glabrous; ciliate on margins. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3.5–4.5 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 elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume surface flat; pitted; pilose; hairy at base. Lower glume margins ciliate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; 1.8 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 15–20 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 2.2 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: southeast USA. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, and western South America.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl Pak 1993.

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