Hyparrhenia familiaris

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous. Culms erect; slender; 50–150 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 2.5–5 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 30–60 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted. Spatheole linear; 6–10 cm long; membranous; brown, or red. Peduncle 6–10 cm long; pilose above.

Racemes 2; paired; deflexed; 1–2 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs white. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip oblique; flat. Raceme-bases filiform; unequal (the longer measured); 4–5 mm long; pubescent, or hirsute (fulvously); hairy in axils.

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 (0.5mm).

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; 2 in number (lower raceme); 4 in upper raceme; linear, or lanceolate; 6–6.5 mm long; smaller than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes smooth on margins; lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; linear, or lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6–9 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; acute; awned; one glume awned; with 2–10 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 linear, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 7.5–8.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; 2.5–3 mm long; pubescent; base pungent; 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 glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume hairs white. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. 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; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma linear; membranous; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 60–90 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn hirtellous (fulvously); with 0.5–1 mm long hairs. Palea absent or minute.

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

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical. Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Peduncle hairs yellow.

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