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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 uliginosum
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; slender; 20–30 cm long; 2–5 -noded; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 6–12 cm long; 2–2.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle 10–16 cm long.
Panicle spiciform; linear; 3–5 cm long; 0.3–0.4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with lateral stumps on axis. Panicle axis angular; scaberulous; glabrous; bearing deciduous spikelet clusters.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; oblong; base truncate. Involucral bristles deciduous with the fertile spikelets; few; 2–3 in principal whorl; with longest bristle scarcely emergent; 5–10 mm long; terete; flexible; glabrous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; acute; 3.5–4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure, or two; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.1–0.8 mm long; 0.02–0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume oblate; 0.1–0.8 mm long; 0.02–0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex emarginate, or truncate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate, or oblate; 0.25–0.33 length of spikelet; hyaline; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; entire, or dentate; 3 -fid; emarginate, or truncate; mucronate. Fertile lemma oblong; 3.5–4 mm long; membranous; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex obtuse; mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma; membranous.
FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 2–3 mm long; anther tip smooth. Styles free to the base.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical.
NOTES Paniceae. FTA 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
