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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.
Melinis longiseta
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms decumbent; 30–100 cm long; 1.4–2.4 mm diam. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths hispid; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blades 3–15 cm long; 3–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface hispid; hairy on both sides; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins ciliate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; linear, or oblong; 7–20 cm long; 1–3(–4) 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; gibbous; 2.5–3.5 mm long; with hairs extending 2–4 mm beyond apex; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes brief up to lowest fertile floret, or elongated between glumes.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume oblong; 0.5–1 mm long; 0.2–0.3 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex emarginate, or truncate. Upper glume oblong; gibbous; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; much thinner above; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy below; without hair tufts, or with a dorsal tuft of hair. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume hairs white, or purple. Upper glume apex emarginate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 2–6 mm long.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; much thinner above; 5 -veined; pilose; hairy below; ciliate on margins; emarginate; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 5–10 mm long. Palea of lower sterile floret scabrous. Fertile lemma oblong; laterally compressed; 2 mm long; cartilaginous; shiny; without keel; 3–5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Palea cartilaginous; without keels.
FLOWER Stigmas laterally exserted.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.
NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
