Capillipedium planipedicellatum

HABIT Perennial. Culms 100–120 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 8 cm long; 3 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 10–20 cm long; 7–8 cm wide. Primary panicle branches whorled at most nodes; 6–7 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; flexuous.

Racemes bearing few fertile spikelets; 3 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; glabrous on margins. Rhachis internodes oblong (oblanceolate); 1.5–2.25 mm long.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels narrowly elliptic; flattened; 1.5–2.25 mm long; with a translucent median line (also present in internodes); glabrous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas; lanceolate; 1.5 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 3 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; without keels; 9 -veined. Lower glume surface concave. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled; 3 -veined.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets with vestigial lower floret. Fertile lemma absent. Palea oblong (1.5mm); hyaline.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Bor.

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