Sporobolus nervosus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes absent, or short. Butt sheaths papery; yellow; withering, or persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 15–20 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 4–10 cm long; 1–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 7–20 cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Panicle branches glabrous in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; (1.5–)1.7–2.1 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.8–1 mm long; 0.5–0.6 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; (0.9–)1.3–1.9 mm long; 0.5–0.6 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; (1.5–)1.7–2.1 mm long; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.8–1 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; 0.6 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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