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Descriptions

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

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

Ophiuros exaltatus

HABIT Perennial. Culms robust; 150–200(–400) cm long. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths pilose; with tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades elliptic; 50–100 cm long; 20–40 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins spinulose.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; fasciculate; 10–30 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 3–6 cm long. Peduncle widened at apex.

Racemes 1; single; smoothly terete; bilateral; 7–10 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subcylindrical and excavated. Spikelet packing abaxial; regular; 2 -rowed. Rhachis internodes oblong; 3.5–4 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform.

Spikelets sunken; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels fused to internode; united wholly.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 3.5–4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base truncate; with central peg; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume surface smooth, or areolate. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; membranous; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; hyaline. Fertile lemma ovate; hyaline; without keel. Palea hyaline.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Bor.

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