Echinochloa jubata

HABIT Perennial. Culms geniculately ascending, or rambling; 50–200 cm long; spongy. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 10–25 cm long; 3–15 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes borne along a central axis; closely spaced; in a multilateral false spike; unilateral; 2–4 cm long; simple. Central inflorescence axis 8–20 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing crowded; irregular; 4 -rowed.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; gibbous; acuminate; 3–3.5(–4) mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.25–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume surface hispidulous. Lower glume apex cuspidate. Upper glume ovate; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface hispidulous. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1–6 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; hispidulous; acuminate; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 3–25 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate; gibbous; 2.5–3 mm long; indurate; much thinner above; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute; laterally pinched. Palea reflexed at apex; indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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