| Note - this takes you off
of our website |
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.
Ectrosia confusa
HABIT Annual; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; slender; 15–30 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths loose; striately veined; glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 4–8 cm long; 1–2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; lanceolate; continuous, or interrupted; loose, or effuse; 3–10 cm long; 1–2.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading, or reflexed; 1 -nate; simple; 1–1.5 cm long. Panicle axis glabrous, or pilose.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; ciliate.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or obovate; laterally compressed; 4–5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes 1 mm long; scaberulous.
GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; 0.75–0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 2.5–3.5 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards; with the lowest dissimilar. Lowest fertile lemma 0.75 length of adjacent lemma; lobed (emarginate); awned (1–1.4mm). Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally straight along back; 3–6 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–3 mm long overall. Palea bowed outwards; 1.5–2 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous; adorned above. Apical sterile florets 4–5 in number; barren; rudimentary. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 6 mm long.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.3–0.4 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 1 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.
NOTES Eragrostideae. CEH.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
