Oplismenus burmannii

HABIT Annual. Culms prostrate; 10–60 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or ovate; 1–9 cm long; 5–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface hirsute (sparsely), or glabrous (sub). Leaf-blade apex acute (bluntly).

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 3–8; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 0.5–2.5 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 2–11 cm long. Rhachis angular; pilose on surface. Spikelet packing contiguous.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal, or the lower smaller. Pedicels oblong.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 2.5–3.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes similar, or dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of upper glume; 0.5–0.75 length of spikelet; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 2.5–20 mm long; without vesture (but scaberulous). Upper glume ovate; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex obtuse; muticous, or awned. Upper glume awn 0–4 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea, or without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 1-keeled; 7–11 -veined; pubescent; without hair tufts, or with a transverse fringe of hair; emarginate; mucronate. Fertile lemma oblong; dorsally compressed; 2–2.5 mm long; coriaceous; shiny; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute; laterally pinched. Palea involute; coriaceous; without keels.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Caucasus and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern and north-central. North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.

NOTES Paniceae. SAR 2002.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Spikelet pairs 0.5–2mm apart.

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