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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 kleinii
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 20–35 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; grey; antrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many (50–120); flabellate. Leaves 4–5 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; deciduous. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.2 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.25 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3–9 cm long; 7–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 3–6 cm long; 20 mm wide; bearing 28–32 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis angular; pilose on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels ciliate.
STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; reaching apex of florets. Lower glume lanceolate; 4 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface puberulous. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 12–14 mm long; membranous; 15 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 10 mm long; 6 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 16–17 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex acute. Palea lanceolate; 11–12 mm long; 12–14 -veined. Palea keels ciliate. Palea surface glabrous. Rhachilla extension pubescent.
FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; ovoid; 6–7 mm long; yellow.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.
NOTES Bambuseae. Sendulsky 2001.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
