Sporobolus stapfianus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths woolly; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 6–40 cm long. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy (tomentose). Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades convolute; 3–15 cm long; 1–2 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or ovate; dense, or loose, or effuse; 3–15 cm long. Panicle branches capillary (red); glabrous in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 1.4–2.1 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.8–1.1 mm long; 0.9–1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.8–1.5 mm long; 0.5–0.66 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; 1.4–2.1 mm long; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels approximate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.8–1 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; obovoid; 0.5–0.7 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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