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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.
Sporobolus pellucidus
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 20–75 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades convolute; 4–15 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex filiform.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; lanceolate; 6–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1–2 cm long; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches glabrous in axils.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 1.7–2(–2.2) mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes deciduous; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong, or ovate; 0.7–0.8 mm long; 0.5–0.7 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 1–1.5 mm long; (0.5–)0.66–0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 1.7–2(–2.2) mm long; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.8–0.9 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid, or obovoid; 0.6–0.8 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia.
NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.