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Descriptions

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

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

Thelepogon elegans

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; 10–150 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base cordate, or amplexicaul. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4–20 cm long; 5–30 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or hispid. Leaf-blade margins ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–17; digitate; in several whorls; 4–15 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–5 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; angular. Rhachis internodes cuneate; 6–9 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse; cupuliform. Raceme-bases filiform.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; foliaceous; curved; 1.1 length of fertile spikelet; glabrous.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 5–13 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; indurate; without keels; 9 -veined. Lower glume surface rugose. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface rugose. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 0.8 length of spikelet; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma ovate; 4–10 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 15–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea hyaline; without keels.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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