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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Centropodia glauca

HABIT Perennial. Rootstock evident. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes elongated. Culms decumbent; 15–60 cm long. Culm-internodes solid; glaucous; distally pubescent. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; flat, or involute; 3–9 cm long; 3–7 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; pubescent. Leaf-blade apex pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; oblong; 2.5–11 cm long; 1–2.5 cm wide.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes. 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 lanceolate; 7–10 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume surface asperulous; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy below. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–10 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 5–7 -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 6 hair tufts in all. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lanceolate lobes; incised 0.5–0.6 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; 2–3 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: east tropical, southern tropical, and south.

NOTES Arundineae. FTEA.

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