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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 villosa

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms decumbent; 10–50 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 1–7 cm long; 2–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–10; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1–4 cm long; simple, or with branchlets at base of longer racemes. Central inflorescence axis 3–7 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; subacute, or acute; 2–2.7 mm long; with hairs extending 0–0.5 mm beyond apex; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; clasping; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. 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 barren; with palea, or without significant 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 striate; unwrinkled, or rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute, or apiculate. Palea involute; indurate; without keels.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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