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.

Loxodera bovonei

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm. Culms erect; 50–100 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.8–1 mm long. Leaf-blades erect; 3.5–21 cm long; 2.5–5 mm wide; mid-green, or glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; 6–8 cm long; 2.5 mm wide. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; pilose on surface; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes columnar, or cuneate; 5–8 mm long. Rhachis internode tip crateriform; with scarious rim.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; angular; 4–7 mm long; pubescent.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas; 1 mm long; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; pubescent; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; dorsally compressed; 7–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; bearded; base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong, or ovate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; chartaceous; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 6.8 mm long; membranous; 3 -veined; ciliolate on margins; obtuse. Fertile lemma ovate; 6.5 mm long; hyaline; 3 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea hyaline.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and southern tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Launert.

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