Danthoniopsis viridis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pubescent, or woolly. Culms erect; 30–140 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 7–30 cm long; 2–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins crenate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear, or lanceolate; 5–30 cm long. Panicle branches glabrous to villous; pubescent in axils, or bearded in axils.

Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster, or 2 in the cluster. Pedicels unequal; 0.5–5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate to oblong; laterally compressed; acuminate; 7–14 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.5 mm long; glabrous, or bearded; obtuse. Floret callus hairs 0–2.5 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume elliptic to ovate; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous, or chartaceous; purple; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; purple; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate, or rostrate, or caudate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; lanceolate to ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5–7 -veined; acute, or acuminate. Fertile lemma oblong; 6–8.5 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; 7–15 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate; thickened; winged; narrowly winged; with toothed wings.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Arundinelleae. FZ 1997.

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