Pennisetum sagittatum

HABIT Perennial. Culms 100 cm long. Lateral branches ample; arising from lower culm, mid culm, and upper culm. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base sagittate. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 25 cm long; 25 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle spiciform; linear; 6 cm long; 0.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with sessile scars on axis. Panicle axis angular; puberulous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 4 mm long; base truncate. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; few; 2–3 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; obtuse; 4 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; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 3–5 -veined; scaberulous; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3–5 -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.