Sporobolus crucensis

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; slender; 30–45 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths striately veined. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4–6 cm long; 3–6 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; effuse; 18–26 cm long; 5–10 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1–3 -nate. Panicle branches capillary.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; subterete; 1.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.5 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.8 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 1.5 mm long; membranous; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; oblong; quadrangular; 0.8 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Gr Bolivia 1997.

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