Dichanthium foveolatum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pubescent. Culms geniculately ascending; 15–80 cm long; wiry. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 1–15 cm long; 1–3 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole linear; 3.5–5 cm long; herbaceous. Peduncle pubescent above.

Racemes 1; single; 1.5–4.5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform. Rhachis internode tip oblique; flat.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; without a translucent median line; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets absent, or well-developed; 0–2 in number; barren, or male; smaller than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet lemmas awnless.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; oblong; as long as fertile; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet glumes without depressions, or pitted. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2.5–4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base obtuse; attached obliquely. Spikelet callus hairs 0.5 length of spikelet.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels. Lower glume surface concave; pitted; glabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret 2 mm long; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical, or from a sinus; geniculate; 12–18 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: western Asia and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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