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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Poecilostachys geminata

HABIT Perennial. Culms rambling; 100 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 0.25–3 mm long. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 11–21 cm long; 7–16 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 5–11; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 2 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 15–23 cm long. Rhachis angular; scaberulous on margins. Spikelet packing irregular.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal, or the lower smaller. Pedicels 0.5–3 mm long; puberulous, or pubescent.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 5.5–6.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 2–3.5 mm long; 0.3–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; 1-keeled; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume ovate; 2.5–3.5 mm long; 0.4 length of spikelet; membranous; 1-keeled; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5–9 -veined; glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; laterally compressed; 4 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; 4 mm long; cartilaginous; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.

NOTES Paniceae. SAR 2002.

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