Brachiaria comata

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms decumbent, or rambling; weak; 20–100 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 1–15 cm long; 3–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 6–15; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1–10 cm long; secondarily branched; secondary branches racemulose, or glomerate. Central inflorescence axis 5–20 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; pubescent on surface. Spikelet packing adaxial; irregular.

Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; obtuse, or subacute, or acute; 1.5–2.5 mm long; with hairs extending 0–0.5 mm beyond apex; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.33–0.5(–0.75) length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent; without hair tufts, or with a transverse fringe of hair. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; glabrous, or pubescent; without hair tufts, or with a transverse fringe of hair; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5–2.5 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface granulose, or striate. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate; without keels.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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