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.

Danthoniopsis acutigluma

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 60–120 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 10–25 cm long; 3–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins crenate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; oblong; 5–25 cm long. Panicle branches pubescent, or pilose.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5 mm long; glabrous; obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume; chartaceous; purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent, or pilose. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; purple; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent, or pilose. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5–7 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 7–8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 9 -veined. Lemma surface pilose; hairy below; with a transverse row of hair tufts; bearing 8 hair tufts in all. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with triangular lobes; incised 0.33 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 10–17 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate; winged; narrowly winged; with toothed wings.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Arundinelleae. FZ.

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