Microstegium nudum

HABIT Annual; mat forming. Culms rambling; 20–100 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blade base simple. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 1–8 cm long; 2–13 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade midrib prominent beneath. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–10; digitate; spreading; flexuous; 2–8 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform; 1–1.2 length of fertile spikelet. Rhachis internode tip clavate.

Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; terete; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.5–5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base and with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus glabrous, or pubescent; base obtuse; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; much thinner above; 2-keeled; keeled obtusely; 2–4 -veined. Lower glume surface concave; smooth. Lower glume margins eciliate, or ciliolate. Lower glume apex emarginate. Upper glume elliptic; without keels, or 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute; muticous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; 1.5–3 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 0 -veined. Lemma apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn flexuous; with thread-like crinkled tip; 6–20 mm long overall. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 2; 0.5–1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl China 2004.

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