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Descriptions

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

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

Chrysopogon aciculatus

HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Stolons present. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect; 20–60 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 1–9 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse, or abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle open; ovate; 4–9 cm long. Panicle branches stiff; glabrous.

Racemes bearing a triad of spikelets; 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis obsolete.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; 0.75 length of fertile spikelet; glabrous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 4–6 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; acute, or setaceously attenuate; muticous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 3.5–4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; 3–5 mm long; pubescent; base pungent.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 3–4 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate; muticous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; straight; 4–6 mm long overall. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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