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Descriptions

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

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

Schizachyrium beckii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 90 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 12–23 cm long; 6–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole linear; 1.5–2 cm long; herbaceous.

Racemes 1; single; 1–3 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes cuneate. Rhachis internode tip crateriform; with scarious rim.

Spikelets squeezed between internode and pedicel; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels cuneate; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2–2.5 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; awned; one glume awned; with 2.5 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled all along; keeled frontally; keeled sharply. Lower glume intercarinal veins obscure. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.75 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 17 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Gr Bolivia 1997.

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