Elymandra androphila

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 100–250 cm long; 2–5 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–2 mm long; hyaline; truncate. Leaf-blades 30–60 cm long; 4–9 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface scabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 20–60 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 5–10 cm long; scarious; glabrous. Peduncle pubescent above.

Racemes 2; paired; 2–3 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; glabrous on margins. Spikelet packing crowded. Rhachis internodes filiform; 1.5–2.5 mm long. Rhachis internode tip oblique. Raceme-bases filiform; unequal (the longer measured); 3–4 mm long; glabrous.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; lower raceme (4–)12–14(–18) in number; (4–)12–14(–18) in upper raceme; separately deciduous; barren, or male; 6–8 mm long; smaller than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes glabrous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate (olive green); 7–11 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus oblong; 1–1.5 mm long; truncate. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; acuminate; 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 elliptic; subterete; 7–10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; 2–3 mm long; bearded; base pungent; attached obliquely. Spikelet callus hairs white.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex acute; muticous, or awned (rarely); 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0–3 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma linear; 5 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma margins eciliate. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; incised 0.2 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; (5.5–)7(–9) mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn pubescent. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, and southern tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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