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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 pedicellatum
HABIT Annual. Culms geniculately ascending; 30–150 cm long. Lateral branches ample. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 5–25 cm long; 4–15 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle spiciform; linear; straight, or curved; 5–15 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis with briefly decurrent ribs; glabrous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 1–5 in the cluster; 0–1 sessile. Involucre composed of bristles; ovate; 5–10 mm long; base obtuse. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; 15–25 in principal whorl; with one conspicuously longer bristle; 16–24 mm long; terete; flexible; woolly. Pedicels 0.5–3.5 mm long.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3.5–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures; readily shedding fertile florets.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, or oblong; 1–3 mm long; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pubescent; hairy below. Lower glume apex emarginate, or obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy below. Upper glume margins eciliate, or ciliate. Upper glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea, or without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; puberulous; dentate; 3 -fid. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2.5–3 mm long; coriaceous; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea coriaceous.
FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 1.5–2.5 mm long; anther tip smooth.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and western Indian ocean. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia. Australasia: Australia. South America: Brazil.
NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
