Hyparrhenia multiplex

HABIT Annual. Butt sheaths glabrous. Culms erect; slender; 5–36 cm long. Leaves cauline. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 2–20 cm long; 1–2 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted. Spatheole lanceolate; 3–15 cm long; herbaceous, or chartaceous; green, or yellow; glabrous. Peduncle nodding; glabrous, or pilose above.

Racemes 2; paired; appressed, or deflexed (seldom); 1 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets, or many spikelets; bearing 1–6 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip oblique; flat. Raceme-bases flattened; subequal; 0.5–1 mm long; glabrous, or stiffly setose.

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.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; on lower raceme 4 in number; 4 in upper raceme; lanceolate; 7–8 mm long; equalling fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes glabrous; setose on margins (pectinately); lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4–7 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus square; 0.2–0.5 mm long; truncate. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; ciliate on margins; acute; mucronate. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 2–3 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 hispidulous. 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; 45–70 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn pubescent. Palea absent or minute.

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

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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