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.

Iseilema ciliatum

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; 15–35 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 6–12 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 7 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; deciduous as a whole; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole elliptic; 1.2–1.5 cm long; herbaceous; tuberculate (on midnerve). Peduncle 0.2–0.3 cm long; tuberculate above.

Racemes 1; single; oblong; 0.7–0.8 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis pilose on surface. Rhachis hairs 2 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear; 1 mm long. Raceme-bases brief (truncate); pilose; with 2 mm long hairs.

Spikelets in threes (basal paired). Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; 3.5 mm long; glabrous, or ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; 4 in number; forming an involucre about the fertile; with both pairs arising at about the same level; pedicelled; deciduous with the fertile. Basal sterile spikelet pedicels oblong; 1.5 mm long. Basal sterile spikelets male; oblong; 5–5.5 mm long; smaller than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes cartilaginous; scaberulous; ciliate on margins.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; elliptic; 3–3.5 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes membranous; 7–9 -veined; tuberculate (on keels); glabrous; acute; muticous. 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; acuminate; 7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 6 -veined. Lower glume primary vein tuberculate. Lower glume surface convex; glabrous. Lower glume apex emarginate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 4 mm long; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins; emarginate. Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma linear; 2 mm long; membranous; 1 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 18–22 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 10–12 mm long; glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 2 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. CEH.

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