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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.
Loudetia simplex
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pubescent, or woolly; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 30–150 cm long. Culm-nodes pallid, or black; glabrous, or bearded. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 10–30 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins entire.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; bearing juvenile spikelets at emergence.
Panicle open, or contracted; linear to ovate; 10–30 cm long.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 8–13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.8–1 mm long; pubescent; 2-toothed.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 3–5 mm long; 0.3–0.5 length of spikelet; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–13 mm long; chartaceous; dark brown; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; lanceolate; 8–13 mm long; 3 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; 4–7 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; with triangular lobes; with lobes 0.2–1 mm long; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 25–50 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate; thickened. Palea surface scaberulous.
FLOWER Anthers 2; anther tip smooth.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; glabrous. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean.
NOTES Arundinelleae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
