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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 delicatum

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; 10–60 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 2–8 cm long; 0.5–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear.

Racemes 1; single; 1–3 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on margins, or pubescent on margins. Rhachis internodes linear, or clavate. 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 linear, or clavate; glabrous, or bearing a few hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3–4 mm long; longer than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; awned; one glume awned; with 1–3 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 elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2.5–3(–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 elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled; keeled laterally; winged on keel; winged narrowly; winged near apex. Lower glume intercarinal veins distinct. Lower glume surface pilose; hairy below. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.66 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 20–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, and east tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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