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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Themeda anathera
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–120 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 2–4 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 20–30 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; deciduous as a whole; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 1.5–2 cm long; scarious; red, or purple, or grey; without tubercles; glabrous.
Racemes 1; single; oblong; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2–4 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis tough.
Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; 0.5 mm long.
STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; 4 in number; forming an involucre about the fertile; subsessile; deciduous with the fertile; lanceolate; 5–8 mm long; equalling fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes smooth on margins, or tuberculate on margins and ciliate on margins; lower glume muticous.
Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 6–8 mm long; longer than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet callus oblong. Companion sterile spikelet glumes smooth, or tuberculate; puberulous, or pilose. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; 5–7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus oblong; 1 mm long; bearded; base obtuse; attached obliquely.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels. Lower glume surface glabrous, or puberulous, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline. Fertile lemma lanceolate; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire; acute; muticous. Palea absent or minute.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia and China. Asia-tropical: India.
NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
