Themeda huttonensis

HABIT Perennial. Culms erect; straight, or zigzag; 60–100 cm long; wiry. Culm-internodes elliptical in section. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–1.5 mm long; erose. Leaf-blades 10–20 cm long; 4–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially; pilose; hairy adaxially; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins scabrous; ciliate; hairy at base. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; lax. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 2.5–3 cm long; scarious; without tubercles; glabrous.

Racemes 1; single; cuneate; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; 0.5 mm long; tip oblique.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; 4 in number; forming an involucre about the fertile; with normal internodes; subsessile; lanceolate; 11–12 mm long; larger than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes tuberculate; pilose; lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; 11–12 mm long; longer than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus linear; 1.5 mm long; truncate. Companion sterile spikelet glumes 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; 5.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus oblong; 1 mm long; pilose; base acute; attached obliquely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; without keels; 11 -veined. Lower glume surface scabrous; rough above; glabrous. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume oblong; chartaceous; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex truncate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 4.5 mm long; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 20–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn hispidulous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl Assam 1993.

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