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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.
Ehrharta thunbergii
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated; scaly; hairy. Butt sheaths papery. Culms erect; 100–150 cm long; 2–3 mm diam.; woody; not swollen at the base, or swollen at the base; forming an ovoid corm. Culm-internodes solid. Culm-nodes black. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades persistent, or deciduous at the ligule; flat, or involute; 3–10 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open, or contracted; linear; 8–16 cm long. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose, or simple.
Spikelets spreading; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; curved.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated between basal sterile florets. Floret callus bearded.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 6–8 mm long; 0.9–1 length of upper glume; hyaline; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 7–8 mm long; 0.5–0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; without keels; 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 elliptic; 4–6 mm long; 1 length of fertile lemma; cartilaginous; 1-keeled; villous; acute; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 2–3 mm long. Lemma of upper sterile floret elliptic; 7–8 mm long; 1.3–1.5 length of lower sterile floret; cartilaginous; villous; obtuse; awned. Awn of upper sterile floret 1–3 mm long. Fertile lemma elliptic; 4–5 mm long; cartilaginous; keeled. Lemma surface pilose. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 6; 5 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: south.
NOTES Ehrharteae. Gibbs-Russell.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
