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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 williamsii
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; wiry. Butt sheaths villous. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 100–150 cm long. Culm-internodes solid. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–4 mm long. Leaf-blades 50–100 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Peduncle glabrous.
Panicle open; linear, or lanceolate; 18–25 cm long. Primary panicle branches sparsely divided.
Racemes 2–6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; villous on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform; 6–7 mm long.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal. Pedicels filiform; 3 mm long; villous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs white; 1–1.5 mm long; 0.15–0.33 length of spikelet.
GLUMES Glumes reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic, or oblong; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; 2-keeled. Lower glume surface flat; villous. Lower glume hairs dark brown (3–4mm long). Lower glume apex emarginate. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 1-keeled; keeled above; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy above. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0.5–3 mm long.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 5 mm long; 0.8 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined; ciliate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 5 mm long; hyaline. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.2–0.25 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 15 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 4 mm long. Palea oblong; 0.6 length of lemma; hyaline.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 3 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.
NOTES Andropogoneae. Bor.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
