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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 rupestre

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pubescent. Culms erect; 30–150 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 1–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear.

Racemes 1; single; 3–5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; villous on margins. Rhachis internodes linear, or clavate. 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, or clavate; villous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3–6.5 mm long; as long as fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; glabrous; acuminate; muticous, or 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 elliptic; dorsally compressed; 4–6.5 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 elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled; keeled laterally; wingless. Lower glume intercarinal veins distinct. Lower glume surface glabrous. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.25–0.33 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; simple at base; 10–16 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 3.5–7 mm long; glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, east tropical, and south.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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