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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 maclaudii
HABIT Annual. Culms rambling, or prostrate; 8–40 cm long; 1–2 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; keeled. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 2–6 cm long; 2–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear; 1.5–2 cm long.
Racemes 1; single; 2–3 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on margins. Rhachis internodes oblong, or 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 oblong; glabrous.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by single glumes; lanceolate; 1 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; with 3–5 mm long awn.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3–3.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; 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 all along; keeled laterally. Lower glume intercarinal veins obscure; 3 in number. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 3 mm long; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; 2–3 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.9 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 5–8 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical and west-central tropical. South America: northern South America, western South America, and Brazil.
NOTES Andropogoneae. FWTA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
