New! - Search other data sources for Isachne gossweileri

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Isachne gossweileri

HABIT Perennial. Culms rambling; slender; 30–50 cm long. Culm-internodes terete; smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches sparse. Leaf-sheaths loose; mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; striately veined; smooth; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 6–10 cm long; 3–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 6–8 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; pubescent; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; smooth, or scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; loose; 6–10 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches spreading; 1 -nate; 2–3.5 cm long. Panicle axis smooth. Panicle branches bearing approximate spikelets.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; unequal; 0.5–2 mm long; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.2–1.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet, or reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1.1–1.5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; 0.95–1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume surface puberulous; hairy at apex. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; 1.1–1.5 mm long; 0.95–1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous; hairy at apex. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile florets female; with the lowest dissimilar. Lowest fertile lemma bisexual, or female; elliptic; 1.2–1.5 mm long; thinner than adjacent lemma; glabrous. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 0 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 1 length of lemma; coriaceous.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.6–0.7 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: southern tropical.

NOTES Isachneae. FTA 1998.

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