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Descriptions

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

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

Otachyrium piligerum

HABIT Perennial. Culms decumbent; 42–55 cm long; 1–3 mm diam.; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes constricted; glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches ample. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; with simple hairs, or tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane, or absent; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 8–15 cm long; 4–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; terminal and axillary.

Panicle open; ovate; 3–15 cm long; 4–12 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading. Panicle axis pilose. Panicle branches capillary; glabrous.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels sinuous; unequal; 2–5 mm long, or 20 mm long; tip discoid.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 1.8–2.2 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.25 length of spikelet; membranous; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 3 -veined; sulcate; acute. Palea of lower sterile floret becoming indurate on keels at maturity; winged on keels (narrowly). Fertile lemma ovate; 2.6–2.8 mm long; indurate; light brown, or dark brown; shiny; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex cuspidate. Palea indurate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; plano-convex; 1.8–2 mm long. Embryo 0.5 length of caryopsis. Hilum elliptic.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Paniceae. Send & Sod.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Longer pedicel 5–10 times length of shorter.

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