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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 penicillatum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect; 40–90 cm long; 2 mm diam. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 15–25 cm long; 1–2 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence simple, or compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 4.5 cm long. Peduncle 6–8 cm long.

Racemes 1; single; 3–5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; glabrous on surface; glabrous on margins. Rhachis internodes cuneate; 4 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 columnar; ciliate; hairy at tip; with 1.5–2 mm long hairs.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4–5 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes herbaceous; keeled; 7 -veined; muticous. 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; 4.5–6 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 laterally; wingless. Lower glume intercarinal veins distinct; 5 in number. Lower glume surface glabrous. 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 lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma oblong; 3 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.75–0.8 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 10–15 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 4–6 mm long; 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.