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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 scindicum
HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Stolons present. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb. Culms erect; 7–45 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 1–11 cm long; 1.5–3 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade margins tuberculate-ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 3–4(–5); digitate; in a head; oblong; incurved; unilateral; 0.8–2 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 3–9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or ovate; laterally compressed; 4–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic; 1.7–2.5 mm long; 1.1 length of upper glume; 1-keeled; winged on keel; winged narrowly; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 1.5–2.3 mm long; 0.5–0.6 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn subapical; 1–2.3 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile florets appressed to rhachilla. Fertile lemma lanceolate in profile; 3–3.8 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex acute; mucronate (to 0.8mm). Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels wingless; scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.1–2 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; obovoid; 0.7–1 mm long; rugose.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, northeast tropical, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.
NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Glume awn 0.5–1 length of body.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
