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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.
Merostachys brevigluma
HABIT Perennial. Culms woody. Culm-internodes terete; light green; striate; smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate; thinner than stem. Leaves 4–5 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; transversely wrinkled; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; deciduous; 3–4 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 6–13 cm long; 20–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous (above), or papillose (below). Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 16–17 cm long; 7–8 mm wide; bearing 25–30 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis glabrous on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous; regular.
Spikelets pectinate; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong.
STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 15–16 mm long; 4–5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 4 mm long; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface puberulous; hairy at base. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume elliptic; 10–11.5 mm long; chartaceous; 11 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1.5 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 13 mm long; 7–8 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 11 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma hairs dark brown. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; chartaceous; 12 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus; ciliolate. Palea surface glabrous. Rhachilla extension pubescent. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.
FLOWER Lodicules 3; 2.5 mm long; ciliate. Anthers 3; 9 mm long. Stigmas 2.
FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; ovoid; 7 mm long; light brown.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.
NOTES Bambuseae. Send 2002.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
