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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 multiflorus
HABIT Annual. Cataphylls evident. Culms 60–140 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1.3–1.8 mm long. Leaf-blades 16–25 cm long; 8–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle spiciform; linear; dense (internodes 0.8–1.7mm); 7–18 cm long; 1.3–1.6 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; scaberulous; glabrous, or pubescent; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 2–4 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; connate into a cup below; with 3 mm connate; globose; 6.8–9.6 mm long; base obconical; base pubescent. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; with an outer whorl of thinner bristles; 20–30 in principal whorl; inner bristles longer than outer; with one conspicuously longer bristle (16–30mm); 6–7 mm long; flattened; without grooves; rigid; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous, or pubescent; attenuate.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 5.5–6.8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 2.2–2.9 mm long; 0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3.5–5.2 mm long; 0.6–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 5–6.1 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5–7 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 5.2–6.6 mm long; coriaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea coriaceous.
FLOWER Anthers 1.9–2.4 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.
NOTES Paniceae. De Lisle.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Outer bristles up to half length of body.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
