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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 massaicum
HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short; knotty. Culms decumbent; 30–90 cm long; wiry, or woody. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or bearded. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 3–25 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; with tubercle-based hairs.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle scaberulous above.
Panicle spiciform; linear, or oblong; 2–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; scaberulous; glabrous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; oblong; 4–10 mm long; base bluntly stipitate (briefly). Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; with an outer whorl of thinner bristles; with longest bristle scarcely emergent; 4–10 mm long; terete; flexible; glabrous, or plumose.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; truncate; 3.5–5.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume surface asperulous (above). Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 0.66–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough on veins. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; smooth, or scaberulous; rough at apex; acuminate. Fertile lemma elliptic; 3.5–5.5 mm long; membranous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate. Palea membranous.
FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 2–2.5 mm long; anther tip smooth. Styles free to the base.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.
NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
