Eulalia mollis

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths glabrous. Culms 10–30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 2–15 cm long; 2–4 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–5; digitate; 2–6 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 0–1 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; villous on margins. Rhachis hairs white; 3–5 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear; 5 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; angular; 5 mm long; villous; with white hairs; with 3–5 mm long hairs.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3–4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus square; 0.5 mm long; 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. Lower glume surface concave; villous. Lower glume hairs white; 3 mm long. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet. Upper glume surface villous. 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; 10–13 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC 1994.

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