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 nodatum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rootstock evident. Culms decumbent; 20–50(–65) cm long; wiry. Culm-internodes papillose; distally pubescent. Culm-nodes swollen. Lateral branches ample; arising from mid culm and upper culm. Leaves all alike. Leaf-sheaths mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; hispid; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1 mm long. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades ascending; lanceolate; 3–9 cm long; 3–9 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins tuberculate-ciliate; hairy at base. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; terminal and axillary.

Panicle open; ovate; 4–13 cm long; 2–3 cm wide; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches ascending; branching divaricately.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; with attenuate base; dorsally compressed; 3.5–4.3 mm long; 1.7 mm wide; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1.5–2 mm long; 0.33 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; pubescent; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3 mm long; 1.4 mm wide; indurate; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute; pubescent. Palea involute; indurate.

DISTRIBUTION North America: south-central USA and Mexico.

NOTES Paniceae. Hitchc & Chase 1996.

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