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.

Spodiopogon rhizophorus

HABIT Annual. Culms decumbent; 20–70 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or hispid; outer margin hairy. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 4 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a false petiole. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or elliptic; 4–27 cm long; 6–27 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or hispid. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or oblong; 3–15 cm long.

Racemes bearing few fertile spikelets. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes clavate; 3–3.25 mm long.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels clavate; flattened; 2.5–3 mm long; ciliate (brown hairs); tip cupuliform.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; dorsally compressed; 5–5.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; inserted. Spikelet callus hairs 1 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear, or elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; pallid; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume apex truncate; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; chartaceous; pallid; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliate. Upper glume lateral veins ribbed. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong, or ovate; 3–3.25 mm long; 0.6 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins; truncate. Fertile lemma lanceolate, or oblong; 3.75–4 mm long; hyaline. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.5–0.6 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 10–11 mm long overall; with twisted column. Palea lanceolate; 0.75 length of lemma; hyaline; 0 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 2.75–3 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 3 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Patunkar.

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