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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 idjensis
HABIT Perennial. Culms robust; 300–500 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 50–100 cm long; 6–12 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; fasciculate; 50–100 cm long; dense. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; exserted. Spatheole linear; scarious; without tubercles; glabrous.
Racemes 1; single; oblong; 2 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes.
Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 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; 12–15 mm long; larger than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes glabrous; smooth on margins; acuminate, or attenuate, or setaceously attenuate; lower glume muticous.
Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 12–15 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; dorsally compressed; compressed slightly; 8–10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base acute; 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 pubescent. Lower glume hairs dark brown. 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; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 15–20 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea absent or minute.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.
NOTES Andropogoneae. Henrard 2001.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
