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Descriptions

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

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

Odontelytrum abyssinicum

HABIT Perennial. Culms prostrate; 20–40 cm long; spongy; rooting from lower nodes. Leaf-sheaths reticulately veined. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 4–20 cm long; 5–7 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle spiciform; linear; 4–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; united into a herbaceous lobed scale; oblong; 7–10 mm long; base bluntly stipitate. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; with one conspicuously longer bristle (12–25 mm); flattened; rigid; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous; obtuse.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 10–14 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure, or two; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0–2 mm long; 0–0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume ovate; 3–6 mm long; 0.4–0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; herbaceous; 9 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 10–14 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner above; dark brown; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; linear; 6–7 mm long; purple. Stigmas 1; terminally exserted; purple; plumose. Styles 12 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; dorsally compressed.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical, east tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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