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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 cubense

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Culms 50–70 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; 5–20 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary.

Racemes 1; single; flexuous; 4–6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; plumose on surface. Spikelet packing lax. Rhachis internodes filiform; 3–10 mm long. Rhachis internode tip crateriform; with scarious rim.

Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; curved; 2–7 mm long; plumose.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary; comprising 2 unequal glumes without lemmas; linear; 1–2 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear, or lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; base obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; 2-keeled; keeled all along; keeled laterally; keeled obtusely (below). Lower glume surface concave. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; 4 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.33 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 4–8 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Caribbean.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Man Gr WI 1994.

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