Oropetium capense

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 3–14 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; flat, or conduplicate, or convolute; 1–4 cm long; 0.5–1.2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade apex obtuse, or acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; straight, or arcuate; smoothly terete; 1.5–10 cm long. Rhachis fracturing into irregular segments; subcylindrical and excavated; 0.5–1 mm wide. Spikelet packing adaxial; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets sunken; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2–3(–4) mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; parallel to lemmas, or recurved at apex. Lower glume oblong; 0.1–0.4 mm long; 0.2 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 2–3(–4) mm long; 1.3–1.6 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 1.5–2(–2.5) mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; mucronate. Palea hyaline; 2 -veined.

FRUIT Caryopsis with tardily free pericarp; fusiform; 1–1.5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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