Schizachyrium gresicola

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect; 20–60 cm long; 1–1.5 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 10–15 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty, or linear; 8–15 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 3 cm long. Peduncle 3–6 cm long; widened at apex.

Racemes 1; single; flexuous; 1–3.5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis hairs lengthening towards internode tip; 3–3.5 mm long. Rhachis internodes clavate; 3.5 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; 3 mm long; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3.5–4 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; keeled; 5 -veined; awned; one glume awned; with 1–2 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 lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 7 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; chartaceous; 2-keeled; keeled laterally. Lower glume intercarinal veins distinct; 3 in number. Lower glume surface flat; pilose; hairy below. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 5 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined; obtuse. Fertile lemma elliptic; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex dentate, or lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.1–0.33 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 12–15 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FWTA.

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