Setaria flavida

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations extravaginal, or intravaginal. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent; slender, or weak; 20–100 cm long; 2–7 -noded; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes smooth, or scaberulous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths without keel, or keeled. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.4–1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades 5–30 cm long; 1–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous, or scabrous; rough on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 4–20; borne along a central axis; distant; unilateral; 0.5–7 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 7–30 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; 0.2–0.6 mm wide; scabrous on margins; terminating in a barren extension; extension flattened, or subulate, or bristle-like; extension 0.8–2 mm long. Spikelet packing abaxial; crowded; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets spreading, or deflexed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or pedicelled. Pedicels reduced to a stump; 0.2–0.5 mm long; tip discoid.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; gibbous; acute; 2.5–3 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, or orbicular, or oblate; clasping; 0.33–0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic, or oblong, or ovate, or orbicular; 0.6–0.9 length of spikelet; membranous, or cartilaginous; without keels; 5–9 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic, or ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous, or cartilaginous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic, or ovate; laterally compressed; gibbous; 1.8–3 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface granulose and striate; rugulose, or rugose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea reflexed at apex; indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1–2.2 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, northwestern, and north-central.

NOTES Paniceae. Morrone et al 2015.

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