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Descriptions

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

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

Coelorachis afraurita

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal; flabellate. Culms erect; 120–400 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 30–100 cm long; 4–12 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; fastigiate. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear.

Racemes 1; single; 2–7 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; angular. Rhachis internodes cuneate; 2 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform.

Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels cuneate; semiterete; 3 mm long; tip cupuliform; auriculate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; asymmetrical; dorsally compressed; 2.5–4 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus square; obtuse. Companion sterile spikelet glumes winged on keels. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 3–4.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base truncate; with central peg; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; winged on keel; winged broadly; winged above; 5 -veined. Lower glume surface flat; smooth. Upper glume oblong; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 1 length of spikelet; hyaline; 2 -veined; obtuse. Fertile lemma elliptic; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea hyaline.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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