Hyparrhenia variabilis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; scaly. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pubescent. Culms erect, or decumbent; robust; 150–300 cm long; with prop roots. Leaves cauline. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades 25–45 cm long; 6–15 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 20–40 cm long; dense. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 1.4–2.4 cm long; membranous; yellow, green, and purple; glabrous. Peduncle 0.3–0.9 cm long; pilose above.

Racemes 2; paired; deflexed; 0.8–1.3 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 flattened; subequal; 0.5–1 mm long; 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 2 in number; 0 in upper raceme; lanceolate; 7–9 mm long; larger than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes glabrous, or pubescent; ciliate on margins; lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5–8 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous, or puberulous; ciliate on margins; acute; awned; one glume awned; with 1–4 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; 4–5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 0.5–1 mm long; pubescent; base obtuse, or 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 glabrous, or pubescent. 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; 18–32 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, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: Malesia. North America: Mexico.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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