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Descriptions

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

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

Saccharum bengalense

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; robust; 200–400 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 45–90 cm long; 3–10 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade midrib widened. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Peduncle glabrous.

Panicle open; linear, or oblong; 20–75 cm long; 10 cm wide.

Racemes 2–4(–5) cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; pilose on surface. Rhachis hairs 5–7 mm long. Rhachis internodes linear.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; heteromorphic (upper glume of pedicelled spikelet villous); subequal. Pedicels linear; ciliate; with 5–7 mm long hairs.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3.8–5.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs white; 4–9 mm long; 1.1–1.6 length of spikelet.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; much thinner above; 2-keeled. Lower glume surface flat; villous. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume hairs 4–9 mm long. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; much thinner above; without keels. Upper glume surface glabrous (sessile), or villous (pedicelled). Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic, or oblong; hyaline; pilose; ciliolate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate, or ovate; hyaline. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; ciliate. Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: western Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl Pak 1993.

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