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Descriptions

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

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

Leptochloa chinensis

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Butt sheaths papery; pallid. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 50–150 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 25–50 cm long; 3–7.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes numerous; borne along a central axis; ascending, or erect; flexuous; unilateral; 2–13 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 20–60 cm long. Rhachis semiterete. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; lax; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 2.1–3.2 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.6–1 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic, or oblong; 0.9–1.3 mm long; 0.9–1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 0.8–1.4 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein pubescent. Lemma lateral veins close to margins. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma margins pubescent. Lemma apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; obtuse. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels puberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid, or oblong; isodiametric; plano-convex; 0.65–0.9 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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