Hyparrhenia pilgeriana

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short; scaly. Butt sheaths glabrous. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent, or rambling; slender; 30–60 cm long; 1–2 mm diam. Leaves cauline. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades 5–10(–15) cm long; 2–4 mm wide; light green. Leaf-blade surface pubescent.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 6–25 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole lanceolate; 2–3 cm long; membranous; brown, or red; glabrous. Peduncle straight, or deflexed; 0.9–3 cm long; pilose above.

Racemes 2; paired; spreading, or erect; 1–1.5 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing (2–)3–4 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, or unequal (the longer measured); 0.5–1.5 mm long; stiffly setose; unappendaged, or shortly lobed.

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 2 in number; 0 in upper raceme; lanceolate; 4–5.5 mm long; equalling fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes glabrous; ciliate on margins; lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4–4.5 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; 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; 4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus square, or oblong; 0.4–0.7 mm long; pubescent; base obtuse; 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 puberulous. 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; 7–17 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous; 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, southern tropical, and south.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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