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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 secundatum

HABIT Perennial; mat forming. Stolons present. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms prostrate; 10–30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 2–15 cm long; 4–9 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; deciduous as a whole.

Racemes borne along a central axis; in a unilateral false spike; sunken; unilateral; 0.5–1 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 2–10 cm long; corky; tough; 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 oblong; dorsally compressed; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.1–0.3 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; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 7–9 -veined; without grooves; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea chartaceous.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, southern tropical, south, and middle Atlantic ocean. Asia-temperate: Arabia and China. Asia-tropical: Malesia and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North America: south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. FTA.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Back of inflorescence axis entire.

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