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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 rottboellioides
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms 20–100 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; 5–25 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; smoothly terete; 2–20 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on surface; glabrous on margins. Rhachis internodes cuneate; 2–5(–6) mm long; 1 length of fertile spikelet. 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 represented by barren pedicels, or represented by awns; 0–5 mm long; deciduous with the fertile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; dorsally compressed; 2–5(–6) 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 oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume surface smooth, or rugose, or muricate; rough generally, or on flanks. Lower glume apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; obtuse, or acute, or acuminate; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 0–5 mm long. Upper glume oblong; membranous; 3 -veined. Upper glume muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0–5 mm long.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 0.9 length of spikelet; hyaline; 3 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel; 1–3 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex acute. Palea absent or minute.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. North America: Mexico. South America: Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.
NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
