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 vulpiseta

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending; 100–200 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled; smooth, or antrorsely scabrous; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 2 mm long. Collar pilose. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades flat, or plicate, or conduplicate; 25–50 cm long; 20–30 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth, or antrorsely scabrous above.

Panicle spiciform; linear; dense, or loose; tapering above and tapering below; 15–30 cm long; 4–5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; 2–3 cm long; sterile at the tips. Panicle axis angular; scabrous; pilose. Panicle branches stiff.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 20–30 mm long. Involucral bristles persistent; 1–2 per spikelet; flexible; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous. Pedicels oblong.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; 2.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Palea of lower sterile floret 1 length of lemma. Fertile lemma ovate; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 2.5 mm long; indurate; yellow; without keel. Lemma surface rugose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. Rominger 1994.

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