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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 radicosum

HABIT Annual. Culms prostrate; 30–60 cm long; 2 mm diam.; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades 3–6 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear; 4–4.5 cm long.

Racemes 1; single; 4 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; pubescent on surface; pubescent on margins. Rhachis internodes oblong; 4–5 mm long. 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; pubescent.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by awns; comprising 1 awn; 3–7 mm long; deciduous with the fertile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 4–5 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 linear; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; dark brown; 2-keeled; keeled frontally. Lower glume intercarinal veins obscure. Lower glume surface pubescent. Upper glume linear; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 3.5 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma oblong; 4 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.75 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 16 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 7 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.