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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 stramineum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending; 30–120 cm long; wiry. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1.5 mm long; lacerate. Leaf-blades 3–15 cm long; 2–9 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle spiciform; linear; 2–15 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with lateral stumps on axis. Panicle axis with rounded ribs; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1–2 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; oblong; 7–12 mm long; base obtuse. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; with longest bristle scarcely emergent; 7–12 mm long; terete; flexible; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 5–5.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 0.1–0.25 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic, or ovate; 0.33–0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5–7 -veined; scaberulous; rough above; acuminate. Fertile lemma elliptic; 5–5.5 mm long; membranous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea membranous.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 1.5–2 mm long; anther tip smooth. Styles free to the base.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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