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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 superatum
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 20–120 cm long. Culm-internodes hollow; 4–6 cm long; distally glabrous, or hispid. Culm-nodes constricted; glabrous, or bearded. Lateral branches sparse; arising from lower culm, or upper culm. Leaf-sheaths 4–10 cm long; striately veined; glabrous on surface, or hirsute; with tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 0.6–1.5 mm long. Collar glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded, or cordate. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4.5–16 cm long; 6–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or hispid. Leaf-blade margins ciliate. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle hirsute above.
Panicle contracted; linear, or lanceolate; 5–8 cm long; 0.8–5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed. Panicle axis hispid. Panicle branches eglandular; pubescent; pubescent in axils.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels flexuous; scabrous; villous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; dorsally compressed; 2.4–3.3 mm long; 0.9–1.2 mm wide; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated between glumes.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; clasping; 1.6–2.4 mm long; 0.5–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 9–11 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous to pubescent. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7–8 -veined; glabrous, or pubescent; obtuse. Palea of lower sterile floret 0.2 length of lemma. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.9–2.5 mm long; 0.9–1.1 mm wide; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface smooth. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex apiculate; scabrous. Palea involute; indurate.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.3–1 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 1.7 mm long. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.
NOTES Paniceae. Zuloaga 1994.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
