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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 minutiflora
HABIT Perennial. Culms geniculately ascending; 60–100 cm long. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths viscid; pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 5–20 cm long; 3–11 mm wide; viscid; aromatic. Leaf-blade surface pilose.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; oblong; dense; 10–30 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; scaberulous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 0.5–2 mm long; scaberulous; glabrous, or bearing a few hairs.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; symmetrical; 1.5–2(–2.4) mm long; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong, or ovate; 0.2–0.5 mm long; 0.1–0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong; not gibbous; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins ribbed. Upper glume apex lobed; 2 -fid; obtuse; muticous, or mucronate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; not gibbous; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; ribbed; lobed; 2 -fid; acute; muticous (rarely), or awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 0–15 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate; laterally compressed; 1.2–1.5 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel; 1–3 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid. Palea 1 length of lemma; cartilaginous; without keels.
FLOWER Stigmas laterally exserted.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
