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.

Dinochloa prunifera

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms zigzag; 10 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 25 cm long; smooth. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; with 1 branch dominant; as thick as stem. Culm-sheaths 15 cm long; green; glabrous; hairy on margins; auriculate; with 1–1.5 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 6–12 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5–1 mm high. Culm-sheath blade ovate; cordate; erect, or reflexed; 13 cm long; 25 mm wide; scabrid. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 6–8 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate; 1 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 17–25 cm long; 32 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between branches; 300 cm long overall.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 7(–9) mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblate; 2 mm long; 7 -veined. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex cuspidate. Upper glume oblate; 4 mm long; 13 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex cuspidate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 15–19 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea present, or absent or minute; involute; hyaline; 6 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; anther tip apiculate. Filaments free, or united in groups. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate; glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with fleshy pericarp; orbicular; isodiametric; 17–30 mm long; green; rugose; glabrous. Endosperm evanescent.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Dransfield 1995.

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