Capillipedium pteropechys

HABIT Perennial. Culms decumbent; slender; 40–60 cm long. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades involute; 7.5–15 cm long; 3–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle open; oblong; 5–7.5 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; pilose; hairy at tip.

Racemes 1 cm long; bearing many spikelets; bearing 3–5 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear; 0.5 length of fertile spikelet.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; 1.5–2 mm long; with a translucent median line (also present in internodes); ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes 9–11 -veined. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 3.75–4.75 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; attached transversely. Spikelet callus hairs 0.25 length of spikelet.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled; keeled obtusely; 9 -veined. Lower glume primary vein pectinately ciliate. Lower glume lateral veins prominent. Lower glume surface concave. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn geniculate; 15–20 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 2 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl Assam 1993.

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