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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 scintillans
HABIT Annual. Culms slender; 30–60 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform, or linear; 5–10 cm long; 0.5–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; filiform.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole linear.
Racemes 1; single; flexuous; 2–2.5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes clavate. Rhachis internode tip cupuliform; with simple rim.
Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels clavate; ciliate; tip lobed.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3–4 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; 5 -veined; awned; one glume awned; with 1–3 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 1; enclosed by glumes.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 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 lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled; keeled laterally. Lower glume intercarinal veins distinct; 3 in number. Lower glume surface flat; pubescent; hairy in lines. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 3 mm long; hyaline; 2 -veined; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma linear; 3 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 12–16 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.5 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical and west-central tropical.
NOTES Andropogoneae. FTA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
