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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.
Setaria sulcata
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; robust, or of moderate stature, or slender; 100–300 cm long; 2–10 mm diam. Culm-nodes pubescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base without a false petiole, or with a false petiole. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; plicate; 10–80 cm long; 5–110 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; linear, or lanceolate; 10–60 cm long; 1–10 cm wide; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending, or spreading; bearing spikelets almost to the base; sterile at the tips. Panicle branches stiff; pubescent.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 3–15 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, or ovate; dorsally compressed; acute, or acuminate; 2.2–4.5 mm long; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, or orbicular; 0.25–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels. Lower glume apex truncate, or obtuse. Upper glume elliptic, or ovate; 0.5–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male (rarely), or barren; with palea, or without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1–1.1 length of fertile lemma; 1 length of spikelet; membranous, or cartilaginous. Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 2–3.5 mm long; indurate; light brown; dull, or shiny; without keel. Lemma surface unwrinkled, or rugulose (obscurely). Lemma margins involute. Palea involute; indurate.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India. North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
NOTES Paniceae. FTEA 2015.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
