Setaria punctata

HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Rhizomes elongated; spongy. Culms prostrate; 30–200 cm long; spongy; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 5–25 cm long; 3–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute, or acute, or acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 14–24; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1–6 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 10–30 cm long; flattened. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; 0.5–1.5 mm wide; terminating in a barren extension; extension subulate. 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; 2–3 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; 0.25 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0–5 -veined. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume elliptic; 0.1–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 0.8–1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; distinctly veined, or without lateral veins; obtuse, or acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2–3 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Palea reflexed at apex; indurate.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: east tropical. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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