Setaria desertorum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rootstock evident. Stolons absent, or present. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10–60 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 3–25 cm long; 1–4(–8) mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes borne along a central axis; unilateral; 0.5–4 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 5–30 cm long. Rhachis wingless; angular; 0.2–0.4 mm wide; glabrous on surface, or puberulous on surface; terminating in a barren extension; extension subulate. Spikelet packing abaxial; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acute; 1.7–2.6 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex truncate, or obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 0.75–1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 1.5–2.5 mm long; indurate; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface granulose; unwrinkled, or rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Palea reflexed at apex; indurate.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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