Loudetia demeusei

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths villous, or woolly; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 100–200 cm long; 2–4 -noded. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 16–40 cm long; 4–8 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface glabrous to pubescent. Leaf-blade margins entire; scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute; hardened.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; bearing juvenile spikelets at emergence.

Panicle contracted; lanceolate; 16–40 cm long; 2–3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed; simple, or sparsely divided; 4–8 cm long. Panicle axis smooth, or scaberulous. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 6–13 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 10–14 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 1.5–2 mm long; bearded; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume oblong; 4–7 mm long; 0.4–0.5 length of spikelet; chartaceous; light brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or setose; hairy on veins; with tubercle-based hairs. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 10–14 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; light brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface setose; hairy on veins; with tubercle-based hairs. Upper glume apex truncate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; 3 -veined; setose; hairy on veins; acuminate. Palea of lower sterile floret 0.4–0.5 length of lemma. Fertile lemma oblong; 5–6.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 50–70 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Column of lemma awn 10–16 mm long; puberulous. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate; thickened.

FLOWER Anthers 2; 3 mm long; anther tip smooth.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Arundinelleae. FTA.

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