Neyraudia montana

HABIT Perennial. Butt sheaths villous, or woolly; with tawny hairs. Culms erect; 100–150 cm long; 2–3 mm diam.; 4–5 -noded. Leaf-sheaths mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 2 mm long. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; involute; 30–60 cm long; 5–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 30–60 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 10–22 cm long.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 7–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; pilose. Floret callus hairs 2 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; 0.8–1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 5 mm long; 0.8–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5–6 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with linear lobes; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 0.8–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 4 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on margins. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; fleshy. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Keng 1996.

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