Phacelurus huillensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 60–180 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 15–40 cm long; 2–7 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 4–14; borne along a central axis; 8–20 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 2–9 cm long. Rhachis semiterete; glabrous on surface. Rhachis internodes cuneate, or inflated. Rhachis internode tip transverse; flat.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels cuneate, or inflated; semiterete.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary, or well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas, or containing empty lemmas, or male; dorsally compressed; shorter than fertile, or as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes winged on keels. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 0–2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong (shield-shaped); dorsally compressed; 3.5–5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base truncate; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; pallid, or purple; 2-keeled; winged on keel; winged all along. Lower glume intercarinal veins obscure. Lower glume surface flat. Lower glume apex emarginate, or obtuse. Upper glume oblong; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma lanceolate; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Palea hyaline.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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