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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 spontaneum
HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect; robust; 200–400 cm long. Culm-internodes solid. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base simple, or tapering to the midrib. Leaf-blades 50–200 cm long; 3–30 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Peduncle hirsute above.
Panicle open; ovate; dense; 20–50 cm long. Panicle axis pilose, or hirsute.
Racemes 3–15 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; pilose on surface. Rhachis internodes filiform.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal. Pedicels filiform; ciliate.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3.5–7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs white; 2–3 length of spikelet.
GLUMES Glumes similar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; much thinner above; 2-keeled. Lower glume surface flat. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; much thinner above; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 0.5 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins; acute. Fertile lemma linear; 1–2 mm long; hyaline; 0 -veined. Palea absent or minute.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; ciliate. Anthers 3.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern. Africa: north, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. South America: Mesoamericana.
NOTES Andropogoneae. Whalen 2003.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
