Ophiuros papillosus

HABIT Annual. Culms 45–100 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 7–25 cm long; 8–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; fasciculate; 30–60 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear.

Racemes 1; single; smoothly terete; bilateral; 3–7 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subcylindrical and excavated. Spikelet packing abaxial; regular; 2 -rowed. Rhachis internodes oblong; 2.5–3 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; 2.5–3 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; 9 -veined. Lower glume surface smooth, or areolate. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; membranous; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 4 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 0 -veined. Palea hyaline.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTA.

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