Eulalia hirtifolia

HABIT Perennial. Butt sheaths glabrous. Culms geniculately ascending; 90–120 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 20–30 cm long; 3–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–7; digitate; 9–10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 2–3 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs purple; 1 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear; 4 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; angular; 3 mm long; ciliate; with purple hairs; with 1 mm long hairs.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 4.5–5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; 2-keeled; keeled above; 4 -veined. Lower glume surface concave. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume hairs purple. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet. Upper glume muticous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 10–11 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC 1994.

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