| Note - this takes you off
of our website |
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.
Heteropholis annua
HABIT Annual. Culms robust; 150–200 cm long; 5–10 mm diam.; with prop roots. Culm-nodes glabrous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 30–60 cm long; 20–45 mm wide; dark green. Leaf-blade margins spinulose. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal, or terminal and axillary. Peduncle widened at apex.
Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 5–7.3 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened. Rhachis internodes oblong; 5 mm long; adherent to upper glume of sessile spikelet. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform; with simple rim.
Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels fused to internode; united wholly; oblong; flattened; 5 mm long; tip rectangular.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 7.5–8 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; keeled; 5–7 -veined; obtuse. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; dorsally compressed; 4.5–5.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1 mm long; glabrous; base truncate; with central boss; attached transversely.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume obovate; 1 length of spikelet; indurate; 2-keeled; keeled laterally; keeled obtusely; winged on keel; winged narrowly; winged above; 11 -veined. Lower glume surface rugose. Lower glume apex truncate, or obtuse. Upper glume oblong; indurate; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic, or oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel; 2–3 -veined. Palea 0.9 length of lemma.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 2 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.
NOTES Andropogoneae. Lazarides.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
