Schizachyrium brevifolium

HABIT Annual. Culms rambling, or prostrate; slender; 5–60 cm long; 1–2 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 1–6 cm long; 1–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear.

Racemes 1; single; 1–2.5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on margins, or ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip cupuliform; with simple 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 linear; glabrous, or ciliate; tip widened.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 1–1.5 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; one glume awned; with 3–6 mm long awn.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 2–4 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 lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled above; keeled frontally. Lower glume intercarinal veins obscure. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pilose. 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. Lemma apex entire (when awnless), or lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.9 of lemma length; muticous (rarely), or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 7–12 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.5–1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Pacific: northwestern. North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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