Entolasia olivacea

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths glabrous. Culms decumbent; 50–100 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4–15 cm long; 5–18 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; crenate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes borne along a central axis; unilateral; 3–7 cm long; secondarily branched (secondary racemelets 4–10 mm long). Central inflorescence axis 7–15 cm long. Rhachis angular; scaberulous on margins. Spikelet packing adaxial; irregular.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; terete.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2.2–2.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.2–0.4 mm long; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 2.2–2.5 mm long; membranous; dark green; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; dorsally compressed; 1.7 mm long; coriaceous; pallid; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy all along. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; coriaceous; 2 -veined. Palea surface pubescent.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and south.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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