Cathestecum brevifolium

HABIT Perennial. Stolons present. Butt sheaths villous. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 5–10 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades curled; 1–2.5 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; pilose; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Androdioecious. Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–8; borne along a central axis; cuneate; 0.3 cm long; bearing a triad of spikelets. Central inflorescence axis 1–2.5 cm long; tip subulate. Rhachis deciduous from axis; terminating in a barren extension; extension bristle-like.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets sessile; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; comprising 2 unequal glumes without lemmas, or containing empty lemmas; cuneate; laterally compressed; 2.5 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes membranous; pilose, or villous; acuminate; muticous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 0–2; 0–1 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 3 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume linear; 1 mm long; 0.3 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume lanceolate; 3 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface villous. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma oblong; 3 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex lobed; 3 -fid; with outer lobes shorter and with central lobe bidentate; incised 0.25 of lemma length; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 1 mm long overall. Lateral lemma awns arising on margin of lemma; 1 mm long; subequal to principal. Apical sterile florets 2 in number; male, or barren; oblong; 2.5 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas lobed; 3 -fid; awned; 3 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 2–4 mm long.

MALE Male inflorescence similar to female.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Cynodonteae. Swallen.

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