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Descriptions

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

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

Odyssea mucronata

HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Cataphylls evident. Rhizomes elongated. Culms geniculately ascending; 15–200 cm long. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Leaves cauline; distichous. Leaf-sheaths mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 1–3 cm long; 2–4 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface ribbed. Leaf-blade apex acute; pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–10; borne along a central axis; closely spaced; in a head; unilateral; 0.3–1 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets. Central inflorescence axis 1–2 cm long. Rhachis subterete. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 0.5–1 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 6–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; pilose; obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume; scarious; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 0.6–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; scarious; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 4.3–5 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate; hairy below. Lemma lateral veins close to margins. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma hairs 1–1.5 mm long. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Palea surface pubescent. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. WDC.

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