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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.
Brachyachne prostrata
HABIT Annual; mat forming. Culms prostrate; 5–10 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths 0.5–1.5 cm long; striately veined. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 1–11 cm long; 0.5–2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse, or abruptly acute.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf, or enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 0.5–2 cm long.
Racemes 3–4; digitate; unilateral; 0.4–1.1 cm long; 1.3–1.8 mm wide. Rhachis deciduous from axis; flattened; 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 elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; obtuse; 3–3.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose.
GLUMES Glumes deciduous; dissimilar; with lower wider than upper; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; parallel to lemmas. Lower glume elliptic; 3–3.3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic, or oblong; 3–3.3 mm long; 1.3–1.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; indurate; with membranous margins; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein grooved on either side. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface asperulous. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; laterally compressed; 2.2–2.5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy below; with marginal hair tufts and with tufts of hair on midvein; bearing 3 hair tufts in all. Lemma hairs 1 mm long. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliate. Rhachilla extension 1 mm long.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.7–0.9 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.
NOTES Cynodonteae. CEH.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
