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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 verticillata
HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms decumbent; 10–100 cm long. Leaf-sheaths outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 5–30 cm long; 4–16 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle spiciform; linear; continuous, or interrupted; 2–15 cm long. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with evident branchlets on axis. Panicle axis hispidulous.
Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets 1–3 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 3–8 mm long. Involucral bristles persistent; 1–4 in principal whorl; flexible; retrorsely scaberulous; glabrous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.5–2.5 mm long; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5–7 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 1–2 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface rugose. Lemma margins involute. Palea involute; indurate.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, middle Atlantic ocean, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: Subarctic, western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
