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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 rupestre

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Culms geniculately ascending; 70 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades 12–18 cm long; 5–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; pilose; hairy adaxially; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade apex filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; terminal and axillary.

Panicle spiciform; linear; 2.5–7 cm long; 1 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with lateral stumps on axis. Panicle axis angular; glabrous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1–2 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 5–6 mm long; base truncate. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; 5–8 in principal whorl; with longest bristle scarcely emergent; terete; flexible; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6–6.2 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; coriaceous.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Turpe 1994.

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