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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Eleusine multiflora

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending; 15–45 cm long. Culm-internodes elliptical in section. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a ciliolate membrane, or a ciliate membrane; 1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 6–26 cm long; 3–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–8; digitate; distant; spreading, or ascending; oblong, or ovate; unilateral; 1.5–3 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–3 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; flattened. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–15 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 7–11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 2.8–4.2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; winged on keel; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 2.8–4.2 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; winged on keel; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate in profile, or ovate in profile; 3.3–5.2 mm long; membranous; 3 -veined (excluding subsidiaries). Lemma midvein with contiguous subsidiary veins (3–7-veined); scabrous. Lemma apex obtuse, or cuspidate; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 0.9–1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; oblong; laterally compressed; sulcate on hilar side; concealed by floret; 1–1.2 mm long; black; granular and rugose.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern. Africa: northeast tropical, east tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia. North America: Mexico.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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