Elymandra subulata

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; 200 cm long; 2–5 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3 mm long; scarious; truncate. Leaf-blade base without a false petiole, or with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades tapering towards sheath; 20–40 cm long; 4–8 mm wide; dark green. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty; 25–35 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear; 8–12 cm long; scarious; glabrous, or pilose. Peduncle glabrous.

Racemes 2; paired; 3.5–5 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; glabrous on margins. Spikelet packing crowded. Rhachis internodes filiform. Rhachis internode tip oblique. Raceme-bases filiform; unequal (the longer measured); 4 mm long; hirsute (fulvously); hairy in axils.

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; lower raceme 14–20 in number; 14–20 in upper raceme; persistent; barren, or male; 7–9 mm long; smaller than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes pilose.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate (olive green); 8–10 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus oblong; 1 mm long; emarginate. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; villous; acute. 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; 9–10 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. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 10–25 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma linear; 4 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 65–100 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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