Tenaxia cumminsii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rootstock evident. Butt sheaths coriaceous; yellow; glossy; glabrous, or pubescent. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect; 30–60 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform, or linear; involute, or convolute; 15–30 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; smooth, or scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 6–12.5 cm long; bearing many spikelets, or few spikelets. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose. Panicle branches glabrous, or pilose.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 15–25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5–0.75 mm long; bearded. Floret callus hairs 3.5 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; shiny; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate, or elliptic; 15–25 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate, or elliptic; 15–25 mm long; 1.5–2.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 9.5–10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 9 -veined. Lemma surface pilose; hairy above; without hair tufts. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lobes 3.5 mm long; incised 0.33 of lemma length; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 22–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 3–4 mm long. Lateral lemma awns arising on apex of lobes; 6–8 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy; ciliate. Anthers 3; 4.5–5.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid; 2.3 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Arundineae. Bor 1992.

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