Elymandra gossweileri

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; 200 cm long; 2–4 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; scarious; truncate. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty; 30–60 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 6–7 cm long; scarious; green, or brown, or red; glabrous. Peduncle antrorsely scabrous above.

Racemes 1; single; 3–4 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; glabrous on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform. Rhachis internode tip oblique. Raceme-bases brief; 1 mm long; glabrous.

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

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; (2–)6–14 in number; persistent; barren, or male; 5–8 mm long; smaller than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes glabrous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; linear; 6–8.5 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus oblong; 1–1.5 mm long; truncate. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; acuminate. 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; 12–16 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; 4–6 mm long; bearded; base pungent; attached obliquely. Spikelet callus hairs dark brown.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 6–40 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma linear; 6 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.25 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 80–90 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn hispidulous. 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.