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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.
Saccharum ravennae
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 100–450 cm long. Culm-internodes solid. Leaf-sheaths hirsute. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base tapering to the midrib. Leaf-blades 30–100 cm long; 3–20 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Peduncle glabrous.
Panicle open; elliptic; 25–70 cm long. Primary panicle branches 10–20 cm long.
Racemes 1.5–3 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; villous on margins. Rhachis hairs 3–6 mm long. Rhachis internodes filiform.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal. Pedicels filiform.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 3–6(–6.5) mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs white; 2–4 mm long; 0.5–1 length of spikelet.
GLUMES Glumes exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 2-keeled; keeled above. Lower glume surface glabrous (sessile), or pilose (pedicelled). Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous (sessile), or pilose (pedicelled). Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 3 mm long; 0.5–1 length of spikelet; hyaline; 1–3 -veined; ciliate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; hyaline; 3 -veined. Lemma margins eciliate, or ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; flexuous; 2.5–10 mm long overall; clearly exserted from spikelet. Palea 0.75 length of lemma; hyaline.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north and northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, and China. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China. North America: southwest USA.
NOTES Andropogoneae. FTA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
