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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Stenotaphrum micranthum

HABIT Annual; mat forming. Stolons present. Basal innovations subterete. Culms decumbent; 10–30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths without keel. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades lanceolate; flat; 3–12 cm long; 4–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes borne along a central axis; in a bilateral false spike; sunken; unilateral; 0.5–1.2 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2–6 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 5–20 cm long; fracturing into irregular segments; tip subulate. Rhachis flattened; terminating in a barren extension; extension subulate. Spikelet packing abaxial.

Spikelets sunken (in axis); solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 2.5–3.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of upper glume; 0.1–0.3 length of spikelet; membranous; pallid; without keels. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; 5 -veined; with 2 longitudinal grooves; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; coriaceous; much thinner on margins; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea coriaceous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: east tropical and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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