Iseilema minutiflorum

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; 20–30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 6–12 cm long; 2–2.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins tuberculate-ciliate; hairy at base. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty; 15–20 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; deciduous as a whole; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 0.6–0.8 cm long; herbaceous; tuberculate (on midnerve).

Racemes 1; single; oblong; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis internodes linear. Raceme-bases brief (truncate); hirsute; 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; 2.5 mm long; scabrous; ciliate; hairy above.

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; 0.5 mm long. Basal sterile spikelets barren; linear, or oblong; 4 mm long; equalling fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes herbaceous; ciliate on margins.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; lanceolate; 2.7 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; 5 -veined; glabrous; 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; 3.5 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. Lower glume surface tuberculate. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret hyaline. Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma linear; membranous; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn geniculate; 10 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 4 mm long; glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Janchen.

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