New! - Search other data sources for Melinis ambigua

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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.

Melinis ambigua

HABIT Perennial. Culms decumbent; 40–120 cm long; (0.6–)0.8–2.1 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths viscid; pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.5–1.2 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 5–20 cm long; 2–10 mm wide; viscid. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; dense; 5–30 cm long; 1.5–6(–8) cm wide.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels bearing a few hairs; hairy above.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; symmetrical; (2–)2.4–4.4(–5.2) mm long; with hairs extending 1–4 mm beyond apex; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 0.5–1 mm long; 0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong; not gibbous; chartaceous; much thinner above; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins without ribs, or ribbed. Upper glume surface pubescent, or pilose. Upper glume hairs white, or purple. Upper glume apex lobed; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1–8 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea, or without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; much thinner above; 5 -veined; distinctly veined, or without lateral veins; pubescent, or pilose; bearing white hairs, or purple hairs; lobed; 2 -fid; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 1–12 mm long. Palea of lower sterile floret scabrous. Fertile lemma ovate; laterally compressed; 2–2.5 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel; 3–5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Palea cartilaginous; without keels.

FLOWER Stigmas laterally exserted.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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