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Descriptions

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

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

Elionurus royleanus

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; 5–30 cm long. Lateral branches fastigiate. Leaves cauline. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 1–15 cm long; 1–2 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by an inflated leaf-sheath; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Racemes 1; single; 2–6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; villous on surface. Rhachis hairs mainly at internode tip. Rhachis internodes linear. 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; glabrous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6–10 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; caudate; muticous, or mucronate. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6–7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1 mm long; 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 to villous; with marginal tufts of hair. Lower glume apex entire, or lobed; 2 -fid; setaceously attenuate (4–6mm). Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume surface glabrous to villous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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