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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Pennisetum ramosum

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 50–200 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 6–30 cm long; 4–18 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle antrorsely scabrous above.

Panicle spiciform; linear, or oblong; 2–7 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis with briefly decurrent ribs; scaberulous; glabrous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; connate into a disc below (slightly); oblong; 5–20 mm long; base truncate. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; in one whorl; 12–24 in principal whorl; with one conspicuously longer bristle; 10–30 mm long; terete; rigid; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 5–6.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.1–0.15 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 0.8–1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough on veins. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 0.8–1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 5–6.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea coriaceous.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 1.5–2.5 mm long; anther tip smooth. Styles free to the base.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, and east tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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