Phacelurus schliebenii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect; 30–90 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 3–5 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–8; borne along a central axis; 3–9 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–5 cm long. Rhachis semiterete; pubescent on surface. Rhachis internodes cuneate. 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; pubescent.

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 lemmas 0–2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 4–5 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; chartaceous; purple; 2-keeled; wingless. Lower glume primary vein ciliate. Lower glume intercarinal veins distinct. Lower glume surface flat; pilose; hairy on veins. Lower glume apex emarginate, or obtuse, or acute. 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.