Taeniorhachis repens

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated. Stolons present. Culms erect; 4–8 cm long. Leaves distichous. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; flat, or conduplicate; 0.5–2 cm long; 1 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2; paired; unilateral; 1.5–2.5 cm long. Rhachis deciduous from axis; broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 2.5–3 mm wide.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or elliptic; dorsally compressed; acuminate; 6–6.5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5–0.6 mm long; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume elliptic; 0.66 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy between veins. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 9–11 -veined; prominently veined; villous on margins; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 6 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; pallid; without keel. Lemma surface striate. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: northeast tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. TAC 1993.

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