|
Note - this takes you off
of our website |
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.
Schmidtia pappophoroides
HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short. Stolons absent, or present. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–90 cm long; wiry. Culm-internodes distally pubescent; with capitate hairs. Leaf-sheaths viscid; pubescent; with capitate hairs. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 5–16 cm long; 2–7 mm wide; glaucous; without exudate, or viscid. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy on both sides; with capitate hairs. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open, or contracted; oblong; 6–12 cm long; 2–4.5 cm wide.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5(–7) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets obovate; laterally compressed; 10–15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Floret callus bearded; acute.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 4.6–7.5 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; grey; without keels; (7–)9–11(–13) -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 6–9 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; grey; without keels; (7–)9–11(–13) -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma cuneate; 8.5–14 mm long; coriaceous; much thinner above; without keel; 9 -veined. Lemma surface villous; hairy below. Lemma apex lobed; 6 -fid; incised 0.33 of lemma length; awned; 5 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 4.5–8 mm long overall. Lateral lemma awns arising between lobes; subequal to principal. Palea 0.5 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea surface villous; hairy on flanks. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.5–3.5 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south.
NOTES Pappophoreae. FZ.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Glandular hairs usually lacking on palea keels.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
