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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.
Pennisetum articulare
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 15–60 cm long; wiry. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 15–50 cm long; 1–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle spiciform; linear, or oblong; 4–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; with scattered hairs to pubescent; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; oblong; 8–20 mm long; base obconical; base 0.5 mm long; base pubescent. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; with an outer whorl of thinner bristles; inner bristles longer than outer; with longest bristle scarcely emergent; 8–20 mm long; terete; flexible; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acute; 5–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure, or two; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 0–3 mm long; 0–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.5–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3–5 -veined; acuminate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.5–5.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 1 length of lemma; chartaceous.
FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 2 mm long; anther tip apiculate. Stigmas pubescent. Styles connate below.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION Pacific: south-central.
NOTES Paniceae. Brown 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
