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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.
Rhytachne glabra
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 30–90 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades flexuous; filiform; involute; 20–60 cm long; 1–2 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle widened at apex.
Racemes 1; single; smoothly terete; 3–6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; 5 mm wide; glabrous on surface; glabrous on margins. Rhachis internodes columnar; 7 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform; with simple rim.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; foliaceous; curved; glabrous.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; lanceolate, or ovate; 6–7 mm long; as long as fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; ribbed; muricate; muticous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or ovate; dorsally compressed; 6–7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus glabrous; base truncate; with central peg; attached transversely.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; purple; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume surface smooth, or muricate; rough on veins. Lower glume apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; acute; muticous. Upper glume oblong; membranous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 5 mm long; membranous; 4 -veined; obtuse. Palea of lower sterile floret 1 length of lemma. Fertile lemma elliptic; 4 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 0.6–0.8 length of lemma.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical and east tropical.
NOTES Andropogoneae. FWTA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
