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.

Coelachne infirma

HABIT Annual; mat forming. Culms prostrate; weak; 5–15 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths 1–1.5 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 1.5–2.5 cm long; 5 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; interrupted; 5–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches 0.5–1.5 cm long; bearing 2–9 fertile spikelets on each lower branch; bearing spikelets almost to the base.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 0.2–0.8 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 2–2.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus 0.6 mm long; glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; 1.2 mm long; 0.8 length of upper glume; 0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume orbicular; 1.5 mm long; 0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile florets female (upper); with the lowest dissimilar. Lowest fertile lemma bisexual; ovate; 1.5 length of adjacent lemma; firmer than adjacent lemma; hairy (below); mucronate. Fertile lemma ovate; 1 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3–5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy below. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate.

FLOWER Anthers 2; 0.6–1.1 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; dark brown. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia.

NOTES Isachneae. Gilliland 1993.

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