New! - Search other data sources for Hemisorghum venustum

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.

Hemisorghum venustum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect; 100 cm long. Culm-internodes solid. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 30–60 cm long; 3–6 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle open; elliptic; 20–40 cm long. Primary panicle branches whorled at most nodes.

Racemes 0.7–2 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 3–7 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; smooth on margins; glabrous on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; terete; smooth; glabrous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; elliptic; dorsally compressed; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; muticous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3.5–5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume intercarinal veins absent. Lower glume surface flat. Lower glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; 2 -veined; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma elliptic; 3–4.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; flexuous; 8–10 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy; glabrous.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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