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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.
Homozeugos fragile
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 100–200 cm long. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths pubescent. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 1–3 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–3 mm long. Leaf-blades linear; convolute; 20–35 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 3–5; digitate; 7–10 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; setose on margins. Rhachis hairs white; 3–5 mm long. Rhachis internodes filiform; 10–12 mm long. Rhachis internode tip oblique; flat.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal. Pedicels filiform; ciliate; tip oblique.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; subterete; 14–18 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 3–4 mm long; pilose; base pungent; attached obliquely.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 11–14 mm long; 0.8 length of spikelet; coriaceous; much thinner above; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 8 -veined. Lower glume surface villous. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume linear; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume margins ciliate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret linear; 7 mm long; 0.5 length of spikelet; hyaline; 2 -veined; pubescent; ciliolate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma linear; 6 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; with linear lobes; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 70–80 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn hirtellous; with 1–2 mm long hairs. Palea absent or minute.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 6 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.
NOTES Andropogoneae. FTA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
