Note - this takes you off
of our website |
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 shaanxiense
HABIT Perennial. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 80–150 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat; 30–50 cm long; 5–15 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle spiciform; linear; 10–20 cm long; 1–2 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis. Panicle axis retrorsely scabrous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 10–30 mm long; base obtuse. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; 10–30 mm long; terete; flexible; glabrous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 2 mm long; 0.3–0.4 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 1.7–3 mm long; 0.3–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent, or obscure. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; acuminate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5–6 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.
FLOWER Anthers 3; anther tip smooth.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.
NOTES Paniceae. Chen & Jin 1996.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.