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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Schizachyrium gracilipes
HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short. Culms geniculately ascending; 50–120 cm long; 0.5 mm diam. Lateral branches ample. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.75–1 mm long. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 2.5–7 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear; 2 cm long. Peduncle widened at apex.
Racemes 1; single; flexuous; 1.5–2.5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on surface; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform; 2.5–3 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 linear; curved; 2–2.5 mm long; ciliate.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary; comprising 2 unequal glumes without lemmas; linear; 1–1.5 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; one glume awned; with 1–1.5 mm long awn.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4.5–5 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 frontally. Lower glume surface convex; asperulous. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; 2.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.8 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 9 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil and southern South America.
NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl Cat 1994.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
