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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 cymbaria
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 150–250 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 30–60 cm long; 4–8 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scabrous.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 50–90 cm long; dense. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole lanceolate; 1–1.5 cm long; scarious; brown, or red; without tubercles; glabrous.
Racemes 1; single; cuneate; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1–2 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes. Rhachis internodes linear.
Spikelets in pairs, or in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster, or 2 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; lanceolate; 5–8 mm long; larger than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes smooth, or tuberculate; glabrous, or pilose; lower glume muticous.
Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 4.5–8 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus linear. Companion sterile spikelet glumes smooth; glabrous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; subterete; 4–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; 0.5–1 mm long; bearded; base acute; attached obliquely. Spikelet callus hairs white, or dark brown.
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. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 10–20 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous. Palea absent or minute.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.
NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
