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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.
Chrysopogon plumulosus
HABIT Perennial. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10–90 cm long; wiry. Leaves cauline, or mostly basal (rarely). Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 1–15 cm long; 1–3 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute, or acute, or acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.
Panicle open; ovate; 3–7 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; villous (fulvously); hairy at tip.
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; 0.33–0.5 length of fertile spikelet; villous (fulvously); with white hairs, or dark brown hairs.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 4–7 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; one glume awned, or both glumes awned; with 5–15 mm long awn; awn plumose. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes; muticous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5.5–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1.5–2 mm long; bearded; base pungent. Spikelet callus hairs yellow, or dark brown.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 4–6 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels. Lower glume surface pilose; hairy at apex. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume primary vein eciliate, or ciliate. Upper glume awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 7–15 mm long; plumose.
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; emarginate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 20–30 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous. Palea absent or minute.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, west tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.
NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
