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Descriptions

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

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

Panicum capillare

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 20–80 cm long. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths hispid; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 7–30 cm long; 5–14 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; deciduous as a whole.

Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; effuse; 15–50 cm long. Panicle branches capillary.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; dorsally compressed; acute, or acuminate; 1.8–2.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse to acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5–7 -veined; acute. Palea of lower sterile floret 0.5 length of lemma. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.5 mm long; indurate; pallid, or yellow; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: Macaronesia. Asia-temperate: Soviet far east, Caucasus, and western Asia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern. North America: western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Caribbean and southern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Fl Pak 1993.

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