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 lividus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Culms erect; 100–120 cm long. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or antrorsely scabrous. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 20–30 cm long; 3–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle antrorsely scabrous above.

Racemes 1; single; 7–9 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; pilose on surface. Rhachis internodes linear; 3 mm long; 0.66 length of fertile spikelet. 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; 3.5–4 mm long; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; elliptic; dorsally compressed; 5–6 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; pilose. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 6–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1.5 mm long; bearded; 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 primary vein ciliate. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume primary vein ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Hackel 1994.

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