Brachiaria plantaginea

HABIT Annual. Culms decumbent; 40–100 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4–21 cm long; 6–13 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–8; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 2–11 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 10–20 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 1–2 mm wide; scabrous on margins. Spikelet packing adaxial; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 0.5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; acute; 4–5.5 mm long; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; clasping; 0.25–0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 3.5–5 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface granulose; unwrinkled, or rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate; without keels. Palea surface granular, or rugose.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical and west-central tropical. Pacific: south-central and north-central. North America: northeast USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. FWTA.

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