GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Gymnopogon foliosus

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms 10–30(–75) cm long. Leaves distichous. Leaf-sheaths without keel. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or bearded. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades spreading; lanceolate; 1–3.5 cm long; 1–3 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Racemes 9–17; digitate; ascending, or erect; unilateral; 2–6 cm long. Rhachis angular; scabrous on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels cuneate; 0.7 mm long; scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 2.5–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 0.5 mm long; glabrous, or pubescent; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; (2.5–)3–4.5(–5.1) mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; (2.5–)3.2–4.4(–7) mm long; 2–3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.6–2.3 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; incised 0.2 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; flexuous; (8.5–)10–15.2(–22.2) mm long overall. Rhachilla extension 0.75 length of fertile floret. Apical sterile florets 2 in number; barren; in a clump; rudimentary. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 3.8–13.7 mm long.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.3–0.6 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 1.2–1.8 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.

NOTES Cynodonteae. Smith.

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