New! - Search other data sources for Themeda novoguineensis

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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 novoguineensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; robust; 150–400 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 30–100 cm long; 5–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; linear; 30–40 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 1–1.2 cm long; scarious.

Racemes 1; single; cuneate; bearing a triad of spikelets; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes.

Spikelets in threes (basal paired). Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 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; 7–9 mm long; equalling fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes scaberulous; glabrous; lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; 7–9 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus linear; 2 mm long; truncate. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; acuminate. 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; 7–9 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; 2–3 mm long; pilose; base pungent; 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 puberulous. Upper glume oblong; coriaceous; 3 -veined.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 25–30 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn hispidulous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia and Papuasia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Reeder 1993.

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