Paspalum venezuelanum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 50 cm long. Culm-internodes hollow; 4–6 cm long; distally hispid. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches sparse; arising from lower culm. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; as wide as blade at the collar; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; brown. Leaf-blades flexuous; flat, or conduplicate; 15–20 cm long; 6–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface hispid. Leaf-blade margins ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal, or terminal and axillary; with 1–3 peduncles per sheath.

Racemes 1; single; arcuate; unilateral; 8–13 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; folded longitudinally to embrace spikelets; 2 mm wide; pubescent on surface; ciliate on margins. Spikelet packing irregular.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; turgidly plano-convex; subacute; 4 mm long; 2 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume ovate; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface hispidulous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; 3 -veined; sulcate, or readily splitting into two halves; hispidulous. Palea of lower sterile floret 1 length of lemma; pubescent; adorned on flanks. Fertile lemma ovate; 3.5 mm long; 1.5 mm wide; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface papillose. Lemma margins involute; pubescent. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Febres 1996.

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