GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

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

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

Panicum havardii

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms decumbent; 70–160 cm long. Culm-internodes glaucous; distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths without keel; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 2–4 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 5–10 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 20–40 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches stiff.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 6–8 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.4–0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex attenuate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; attenuate. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 4.5–6 mm long; indurate; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate.

DISTRIBUTION North America: south-central USA and Mexico.

NOTES Paniceae. Gr Texas 1994.

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