Bothriochloa saccharoides

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 35–100 cm long; 1–4 mm diam. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaves mostly basal, or cauline. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–4 mm long; erose. Leaf-blades 5.5–21 cm long; 2–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose, or hirsute; hairy adaxially, or on both sides. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes numerous; borne along a central axis; erect; 2–4 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 4–8 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; villous on margins. Rhachis hairs 3.3–8.5 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear; 1.1–4.2 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; 2–4.2 mm long; with a translucent median line (also present in internodes); villous; with 3.5–7.3 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; linear; 2–4.2 mm long; shorter than fertile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 2.7–6 mm long; 0.7–1.3 mm wide; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent, or pilose; base obtuse; attached transversely. Spikelet callus hairs 0.6–3 mm long.

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; puberulous, or pubescent; hairy below. Lower glume hairs 0.5–2 mm long. 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; 5–26 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION North America: northwest USA, north-central USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Scrivanti 2012.

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