Sporobolus myrianthus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths papery; yellow; glabrous; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 15–120 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades convolute; 3–20 cm long; 1–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or ovate; effuse; 5–30 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; glabrous in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 1.6–2.6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 0.5–0.8 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.6–1.1 mm long; 0.33–0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse, or cuspidate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 1.6–2.6 mm long; membranous; dark green, or grey; 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; obovoid; quadrangular; 0.6 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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