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Descriptions

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

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

Ischaemum afrum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms 20–200 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 10–50 cm long; 3–10 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes (1–)2–5; paired, or digitate; 6–20 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; glabrous on margins to villous on margins. Rhachis internodes cuneate. Rhachis internode tip transverse; cupuliform.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; terete; glabrous to villous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary, or well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; dorsally compressed; 1–6 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; muticous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes; muticous, or 1-awned (rarely).

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled; keeled all along; keeled laterally; wingless. Lower glume surface concave; glabrous to villous. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; 1-keeled.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous. Fertile lemma oblong; membranous; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 5–20 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea 1 length of lemma.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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