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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.
Centropodia forskalii
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Cataphylls evident. Culms decumbent; 3–50 cm long. Culm-internodes solid; glaucous; distally pubescent. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; flat, or involute; 0.7–7 cm long; 2–5 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; pubescent. Leaf-blade apex pungent.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf.
Panicle contracted; oblong; 1–20 cm long; 0.5–2 cm wide.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes; definite. Floret callus evident; curved; 1 mm long; pubescent; pungent; disarticulating obliquely.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume elliptic; 7–9 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume surface asperulous; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy below. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–9 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy below. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 4–5 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner above; without keel; 9 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy between veins; with a transverse row of hair tufts; bearing 2–6 hair tufts in all. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lanceolate lobes; incised 0.4–0.45 of lemma length; acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; straight, or geniculate; 3–5 mm long overall; without a column, or with twisted column. Palea 0.75 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 1–1.3 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, west tropical, and northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, western Asia, and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.
NOTES Arundineae. FTA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
