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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Microstegium fasciculatum

HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Culms prostrate; 50–120 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes glabrous, or bearded. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 5–30 cm long; 5–20 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–25; digitate; 5–10 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; angular; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear; 2–3 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of fertile spikelet. Rhachis internode tip clavate.

Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; semiterete; ciliate.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 2.5–4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base obtuse; attached transversely. Spikelet callus hairs 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled obtusely. Lower glume surface with a longitudinal median groove. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex emarginate. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliate. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate; muticous, or mucronate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret absent. Palea of lower sterile floret hyaline (3–4mm long). Fertile lemma orbicular; 0.5–1 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 0 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 4–8 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea oblong; 1 length of lemma; hyaline; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.4–2.7 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical and east tropical. Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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