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.

Setaria clivalis

HABIT Annual. Culms rambling; weak; 50–150 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes brown. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.5–0.75 mm long. Leaf-blade base without a false petiole, or with a false petiole. Leaf-blades (4–)19–28 cm long; (3–)5–9 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough on both sides; pilose; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 12–38 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; sterile at the tips. Panicle branches scaberulous; glabrous, or pilose.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles. Involucral bristles persistent; 1 per spikelet; 3–14 mm long; flexible; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; dorsally compressed; plano-convex; 2–2.4 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; clasping; 0.6–0.75 mm long; 0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; 1.15–1.5 mm long; 0.5–0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; sulcate; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 2–2.4 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex rostrate. Palea involute; indurate. Palea surface rugose.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1–1.2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; dorsally compressed; plano-convex; 1.75 mm long. Embryo 0.5–0.6 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Paniceae. Veldkamp 1993.

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