Schizachyrium sanguineum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pubescent. Culms erect; 60–300 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 6–30 cm long; 2–9 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute, or acute.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; fastigiate. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted. Spatheole linear; 4–7 cm long; herbaceous. Peduncle widened at apex.

Racemes 1; single; 2–15(–20) cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on margins, or ciliate on margins, or villous on margins. Rhachis hairs 1 mm long. Rhachis internodes cuneate; 5–7 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 cuneate; 3–5 mm long; glabrous, or ciliate, or villous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3–7 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; muticous, or awned; one glume awned; with 0–4 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 linear; laterally compressed; 5–10 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; 2-keeled; keeled all along; keeled frontally; keeled sharply; winged on keel; winged narrowly; winged near apex. Lower glume intercarinal veins obscure. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pilose, or villous. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 3–5 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma oblong; 4 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lanceolate lobes; incised 0.75 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 8–20 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. North America: southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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