Hyparrhenia claytonii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rootstock evident. Butt sheaths pubescent; with white hairs. Culms erect; slender; 100 cm long; 2 mm diam. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; brown; truncate. Leaf-blades 20–30 cm long; 6–8 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; linear; 25 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 2.5–3 cm long; scarious; yellow and brown (striped); glabrous. Peduncle 1–1.5 cm long; hirsute above.

Racemes 2; paired; deflexed; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip oblique; flat. Raceme-bases flattened; subequal; 1 mm long; stiffly setose; with 4–5 mm long hairs; shortly lobed; with 1 mm long appendage.

Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; ciliate; tip oblique; toothed (0.3mm).

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; on lower raceme 2 in number; 0 in upper raceme; elliptic; 9 mm long; larger than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes villous; ciliate on margins; lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 7–8.5 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; villous; eciliate on margins; acuminate; awned; one glume awned; with 4–5.5 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or ovate; dorsally compressed; 4.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 1 mm long; pubescent; base acute; attached obliquely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels; keel-less except near apex. Lower glume surface villous. Upper glume linear; coriaceous; without keels.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of fertile lemma; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; membranous; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 34–37 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn pubescent; with 0.3–0.4 mm long hairs. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Phillips 1994.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Peduncle hairs white.

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