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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.
Ctenium villosum
HABIT Annual; caespitose. Glands wart-like. Culms geniculately ascending; 40–70 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; erose. Leaf-blades 5–10 cm long; 1–2 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; watch-spring spiralled; unilateral; 2–10 cm long. Rhachis semiterete; glabrous on surface; ciliate on margins; terminating in a barren extension; extension subulate. Rhachis hairs 1–2 mm long. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded; regular; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets pectinate; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.4 length of upper glume; hyaline; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 5 mm long; 1.2–1.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; glandular (on keel); 1-keeled; 2 -veined. Upper glume primary vein tuberculate. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn dorsal and oblique; 2.5 mm long.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets dissimilar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 0.75 length of fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined; ciliate on margins (as a dense crest); emarginate; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret subapical; 3 mm long. Lemma of upper sterile floret oblong; 1 length of lower sterile floret; membranous; ciliate on margins (villous above); obtuse; awned. Awn of upper sterile floret dorsal; 7 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate; 3.5–4 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma margins villous; hairy above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; 2 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; elliptic; 2–2.5 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas obtuse.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.
NOTES Cynodonteae. FWTA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
