Setaria seriata

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms 50–200 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; plicate; 10–30 cm long; 8–20 mm wide; flaccid.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 10–20 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches simple; bearing spikelets almost to the base; sterile at the tips. Panicle branches secund; scaberulous.

Spikelets appressed; subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 5–10 mm long. Involucral bristles persistent; 1 in principal whorl; flexible; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; acute; 2–2.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; 0.1–0.25 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate, or obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 0.75–1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 2–2.5 mm long; indurate; pallid; without keel. Lemma surface unwrinkled. Lemma margins involute. Palea involute; indurate.

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

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

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