Hyparrhenia papillipes

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths glabrous, or sparsely hairy. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; slender; 30–100 cm long; 1–2 mm diam.; wiry. Leaves cauline. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades 5–15 cm long; 2–4 mm wide; light green, or glaucous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty; 10–20 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear, or lanceolate; 4–7 cm long; membranous; glabrous. Peduncle flexuous; 3–8 cm long; pilose above.

Racemes 2; paired; deflexed; 2–4 cm long; bearing 4–10 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 flattened; subequal; 1–2 mm long; stiffly setose; extended into an oblong appendage; with (0.2–)0.5–1.2(–1.7) 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 ((0.2-)0.4–0.8(-1.5)mm).

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; on lower raceme 2 in number; 0 in upper raceme; lanceolate; 5.5–7 mm long; equalling fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes villous; smooth on margins; lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6–9 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; villous; acute; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; one glume awned; with 0–1.5 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 lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 0.7–1 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. 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; 20–30 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous, or pubescent; with 0.2–0.4 mm long hairs. Palea absent or minute.

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

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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