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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 tripsacoides

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 60–150 cm long. Lateral branches ample. Leaves cauline. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 10–30 cm long; 1–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform, or hardened.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary.

Racemes 1; single; 3–12 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; glabrous on surface, or pubescent on surface. 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; pubescent.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4–5 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; acute. 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; 5–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1–2 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; with oil streaks; 2-keeled. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid (up to 2mm); acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1-keeled. Upper glume surface glabrous. 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: west tropical, west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. North America: south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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