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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.
Dactyloctenium australe
HABIT Perennial; mat forming, or caespitose. Stolons present. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 32–80 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 5–27 cm long; 2.5–4.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes (3–)4–5(–6); digitate; ascending; linear, or oblong; unilateral; 3.2–5 cm long. Rhachis deciduous from axis; flattened; terminating in a barren extension; extension bristle-like. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded; regular; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets pectinate; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 5–5.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 1.75 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate; mucronate (0.5–0.75mm). Upper glume obovate; 1.7–1.9 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex truncate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn subapical; 2.2–3.3 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile florets appressed to rhachilla. Fertile lemma lanceolate in profile, or ovate in profile; 2.8–4 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex setaceously attenuate; mucronate (0.5–0.7mm). Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels wingless. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.3–1.7 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: Macaronesia, east tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Australasia: Australia.
NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Glume awn 1.3–1.75 length of body.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
