New! - Search other data sources for Piptochaetium bicolor

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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.

Piptochaetium bicolor

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 50–80 cm long; 3 -noded. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 12–25 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 7–11 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; nodding; 10–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches 3–5 -nate; whorled at lower nodes; 5–10 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels puberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; 1.5 mm long; pilose; pungent. Floret callus hairs 0.5 length of lemma.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of upper glume; hyaline; purple; without keels; 5 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 2 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 10–12 mm long; hyaline; purple; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 2 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma obovate; laterally compressed; gibbous; 5–6.5 mm long; indurate; dark brown; without keel. Lemma surface scabrous, or papillose; rough above. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex surmounted by a ring of hairs; with this appendage 0.5–0.8 mm long; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn eccentric; bigeniculate; 40–50 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.5 mm long; retained within floret, or eventually exserted.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil and southern South America.

NOTES Stipeae. Parodi 1995.

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