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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 spicatum
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 20–70 cm long; 1–3 mm diam.; 4–8 -noded. Lateral branches sparse. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 1–15 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; scanty. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole linear; 3–5.5 cm long. Peduncle 5–8.5 cm long.
Racemes 1; single; flexuous; 4–5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; plumose on surface. Rhachis internodes filiform; 7–9.5 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 filiform; curved; 7–9.5 mm long; plumose.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary; comprising 2 unequal glumes without lemmas; linear; 2.5–3 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; awned; one glume awned; with 2.5–3 mm long awn.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 8–10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent; base obtuse.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled; keeled all along; keeled frontally. Lower glume surface convex; smooth. Lower glume apex awned; 2 -awned. Lower glume awn 1–4.5 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; membranous; 1-keeled.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 4–5 mm long; hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.8 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 14–22 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 3.5–4.5 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil and southern South America.
NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl Entre Rios 1994.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
