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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 exile

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 10–120 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 2–15 cm long; 1–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; linear. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole linear, or lanceolate; red.

Racemes 1; single; 3–6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; villous on margins. Rhachis hairs 1–3 mm long. 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; villous; with 1–3 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 1–2(–3) mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; one glume awned; with 3–10 mm long awn.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 5–8 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 frontally; keeled obtusely. Lower glume intercarinal veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous to villous. 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 0.75 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; (7–)10–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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