New! - Search other data sources for Helictotrichon capense

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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.

Helictotrichon capense

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 50–100 cm long; 3 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.75 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; 10–25 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; 10–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches 2–4 cm long. Panicle axis glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 2 mm long; pilose; hairy above; with 3 mm long hairs. Floret callus pilose.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume lanceolate; 5.5 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 7.9 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous; rough above. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 12 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.5 way up back of lemma; geniculate; 10–12 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 4–5 mm long. Lateral lemma awns arising on apex of lobes; 3 mm long. Palea 5.5 mm long. Palea keels ciliolate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 2 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: south.

NOTES Aveneae. Schweickerdt 1993.

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