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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.
Chloris pycnothrix
HABIT Annual; caespitose. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 20–50 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 2–10 cm long; 3–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 2–7(–13); digitate; spreading, or ascending; unilateral; 4–10 cm long. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 2–2.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose; obtuse.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 1.5–3 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.3–2.5 mm long; 1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; laterally compressed; elliptic in profile (narrowly); 2.5–3.2 mm long; cartilaginous; pallid; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Lemma lateral veins close to margins. Lemma apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 11–27 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; separate; elliptic; 0.1–1 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns subapical; 0–8 mm long; 0–1 per spikelet in number.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; trigonous. Hilum punctiform.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia and China. Asia-tropical: Malesia. South America: Mesoamericana, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
NOTES Cynodonteae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
