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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.
Hickelia madagascariensis
HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated; pachymorph. Culms leaning, or rambling; 1000–1500 cm long; 10–18 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 25–40 cm long; mid-green; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement many; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths purple; puberulous; with tawny hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 1 mm high. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; erect, or spreading; 11–14 cm long; 120–150 mm wide; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 8–14 cm long; 8–16 mm wide; purple (when young). Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; moderately hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; stellate; 2–5 cm long; with glumaceous subtending bracts; without axillary buds at base of spikelet.
Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes several; 4–5 empty glumes; lower persistent, upper deciduous (with floret); shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 10–12 mm long; indurate; without keels; 13–21 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to fertile lemma; ovate; 10–12 mm long; indurate; ciliolate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 15 mm long; indurate; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex cuspidate. Palea ovate; 15 mm long; coriaceous. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus. Rhachilla extension 0.2 length of fertile floret.
FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 6. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with tardily free pericarp; ovoid; 8 mm long; hairy at apex.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.
NOTES Bambuseae. Dransfield 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
