| Note - this takes you off
of our website |
GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Brachiaria mollis
HABIT Annual. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 15–50 cm long; 1–2.5 mm diam.; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes distally pubescent. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches ample; arising from lower culm and mid culm. Leaf-sheaths pubescent, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 6–14 cm long; 5–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle 5–13 cm long.
Racemes 4–8; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1–3 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 3–7 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; pilose on surface. Spikelet packing adaxial; irregular; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 0.5 mm long; bearing a few hairs, or ciliate.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; rostrate; 3.4–4 mm long; falling entire. Spikelet callus square; incorporating lowest rhachilla internode with adnate lower glume; 0.5 mm long.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 2–2.7 mm long; 0.4–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex rostrate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; pilose; rostrate. Fertile lemma obovate; 2.6–3.1 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea involute; indurate; without keels. Palea surface rugose.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 1–1.1 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis ellipsoid; 2 mm long. Embryo 0.75 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION Pacific: north-central. North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.
NOTES Paniceae. Fl Costa Rica.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
