New! - Search other data sources for Coelorachis capensis

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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.

Coelorachis capensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms 30–70 cm long. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 3–20 cm long; 3–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal. Peduncle widened at apex.

Racemes 1; single; smoothly terete; 5–12 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on surface. Rhachis internodes cuneate; 5 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform; with simple rim.

Spikelets sunken; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels columnar; semiterete; 4 mm long; glabrous; tip cupuliform; without appendage, or auriculate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary, or well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate, or ovate; 2–5 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. 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 ovate; dorsally compressed; 4.5–5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus glabrous; base truncate; with central peg; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; winged on keel; winged above. Lower glume surface smooth. Lower glume apex emarginate. Upper glume oblong; membranous; 1-keeled; winged on keel.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma elliptic; hyaline; without keel.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: south.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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