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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.
Cenchrus brownii
HABIT Annual. Culms geniculately ascending; 25–95 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.6–1.3 mm long. Leaf-blades 8–30 cm long; 4–11 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy adaxially.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle spiciform; linear, or oblong; continuous; 3–12 cm long; 1.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; pubescent; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 2–3 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; connate into a cup below; with 2.5–4 mm connate; globose; 5–8 mm long; base obconical; base villous. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; with an outer whorl of thinner bristles; inner bristles subequal to outer; with longest bristle scarcely emergent; 2–4 mm long; flattened; rigid; retrorsely scaberulous; villous; spinose.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 4–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.5–2.5 mm long; 0.25–0.4 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 2.2–4.9 mm long; 0.5–0.8 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 0.8–0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 4–6 mm long; coriaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea coriaceous.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.8–2.3 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; 1.9–2.6 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: south. Asia-temperate: eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: northwestern. North America: southeast USA and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.
NOTES Paniceae. De Lisle.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Involucre base 2mm wide.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
