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Descriptions

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

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

Brachyachne pilosa

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; slender; 20–40 cm long; 5–7 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.4 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 5–6 cm long; 0.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1–4; digitate; straight, or arcuate; unilateral; 1–7.5 cm long. Rhachis flattened; 0.3–0.4 mm wide; scaberulous on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; acute; 2.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; dissimilar; with lower wider than upper; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; parallel to lemmas. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; hyaline; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong; 2.3 mm long; 1.2–1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or ovate; laterally compressed; 1.7–2 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein pubescent. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy below. Lemma hairs dark brown. Lemma apex emarginate, or truncate; mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels winged; narrowly winged; scaberulous. Rhachilla extension 1–1.5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Cynodonteae. Van der Veken.

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