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.

Paspalum killipii

HABIT Perennial. Culms erect; 80–160 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes 12–28 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths 12–17 cm long; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; brown; pubescent on abaxial surface; lacerate. Leaf-blade base cordate; without a false petiole, or with a false petiole; petiole 0–3 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 20–35 cm long; 20–38 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 10–20; borne along a central axis; distant; unilateral; 6–15 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 15–30 cm long. Rhachis flattened; scabrous on surface.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled. Pedicels oblong.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; plano-convex; 2–2.4 mm long; 0.8–1 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2–1 mm long; 0.1–0.5 length of spikelet; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy at apex. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy at apex; obtuse. Palea of lower sterile floret 1.8–2.2 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate; 2–2.3 mm long; indurate; pallid; shiny; without keel. Lemma surface papillose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex scabrous. Palea involute; indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.3 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 1.4 mm long. Embryo 0.5 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Zuloaga 1995.

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