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Descriptions

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

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

Brachiaria eruciformis

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms decumbent; slender; 10–60 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 2–15 cm long; 2–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–14; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 0.5–2.5 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–8 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular. Spikelet packing adaxial; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; subacute; 1.7–2.7 mm long; falling entire; readily shedding fertile florets.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2–0.5 mm long; 0.1–0.2 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent, or villous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; glabrous, or pubescent, or villous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5–2.5 mm long; indurate; shiny; without keel. Lemma surface smooth. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate; without keels.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, and China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern and northwestern. South America: Caribbean and southern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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