Ehrharta digyna

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated; woody; not obviously scaly, or scaly. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect, or decumbent; robust; 30–120 cm long; 2–5 mm diam.; wiry, or woody; not swollen at the base, or swollen at the base; forming an ovoid corm. Culm-internodes hollow. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Leaves with blades commonly suppressed, transferring photosynthetic function to sheath and culm. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades 0–3 cm long; 1 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle, or composed of racemes; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle open, or contracted; linear; 2–14 cm long. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose.

Racemes single.

Spikelets appressed, or spreading, or deflexed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; pubescent.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6–9 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet, or reaching apex of florets, or exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 4.5–9 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous, or chartaceous; 1-keeled; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 4.5–9 mm long; 0.9–1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous, or chartaceous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 4–7 mm long; 0.75–1 length of fertile lemma; coriaceous; 1-keeled; smooth, or rugose; truncate; muticous, or mucronate. Lemma of upper sterile floret oblong; basally auriculate; 5–7 mm long; 1.3 length of lower sterile floret; coriaceous; smooth, or rugose above; truncate; muticous, or mucronate. Fertile lemma oblong; 5–7 mm long; coriaceous; keeled. Lemma apex truncate. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: south.

NOTES Ehrharteae. Gibbs-Russell.

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