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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.
Elionurus elegans
HABIT Annual. Culms erect; 30–60 cm long; 3 -noded. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 5–7.5 cm long; 1–2 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; exserted.
Racemes 1; single; straight, or arcuate; 6–10 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; glabrous on surface; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear; 2 mm long. Rhachis internode tip oblique; flat; with simple rim.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; ciliate.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate, or ovate; dorsally compressed; 4 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; keeled; winged on keels; glabrous; acuminate; awned; both glumes awned; with 3–4 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; pubescent; base obtuse; attached obliquely.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled. Lower glume surface glabrous; with marginal tufts of hair. Lower glume apex entire, or lobed; 2 -fid; setaceously attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 3 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 2 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 3 -fid. Palea absent or minute.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 2 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, and northeast tropical.
NOTES Andropogoneae. FTA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
