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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 tempisquense
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 39–100 cm long. Culm-internodes glaucous; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes constricted; brown; glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths wider than blade at the collar; keeled; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 1–1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 8–22 cm long; 4.5–7.5 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle spiciform; linear; 7–10 cm long; 2–2.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with lateral stumps on axis. Panicle axis with rounded ribs; pubescent; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 10–14 mm long; base truncate; base 0.2–0.3 mm long. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; numerous; with an outer whorl of thinner bristles; 20 in principal whorl; inner bristles shorter than outer; with one conspicuously longer bristle; 12–17 mm long; terete; flexible; glabrous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 5–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1–1.6 mm long; 0.2–0.25 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 5–5.5 mm long; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 5.7–5.9 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acuminate. Fertile lemma ovate; 5.2–5.7 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 1 length of lemma; membranous.
FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 1.2–1.5 mm long; purple. Styles free to the base.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 2.1–2.2 mm long; light brown.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana.
NOTES Paniceae. Fl Costa Rica 1994.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
