Setaria obtusifolia

HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Rhizomes elongated; spongy. Culms prostrate; 30–60 cm long; spongy; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 3–20 cm long; 4–12 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex obtuse, or abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1–3 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 10–30 cm long; flattened. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 1–3 mm wide; terminating in a barren extension; extension flattened. Spikelet packing abaxial; crowded; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 3–4 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; 0.1–0.25 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0–5 -veined. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume elliptic; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; obtuse, or acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 3–4 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface granulose. Lemma margins involute. Palea reflexed at apex; indurate.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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