Setaria orthosticha

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending; 10–150 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base without a false petiole. Leaf-blades 3–30 cm long; 1–8 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 1–16 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches simple; bearing spikelets almost to the base; sterile at the tips. Panicle branches secund; villous.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 2–10 mm long. Involucral bristles persistent; 1 in principal whorl; rigid (bent); smooth, or antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous, or villous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; gibbous; obtuse; 1.2–1.7 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; 0.25–0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 0.66–0.75 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; without grooves; obtuse. Palea of lower sterile floret 0.5–1 length of lemma. Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 1–1.5 mm long; indurate; light brown to black; without keel. Lemma surface rugose. Lemma margins involute. Palea involute; indurate. Palea surface rugose.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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