Themeda triandra

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 30–200 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 10–30 cm long; 1–8 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; fasciculate; 10–30 cm long. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 1.5–3.5 cm long; scarious; brown, or red; without tubercles, or tuberculate.

Racemes 1; single; cuneate; bearing few fertile 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.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets well-developed; 4 in number; forming an involucre about the fertile; with both pairs arising at about the same level; subsessile; 6–14 mm long; equalling fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes smooth, or tuberculate; glabrous, or pubescent, or pilose; lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; elliptic; 6–14 mm long; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet callus linear; 2–3 mm long; 2-toothed. Companion sterile spikelet glumes smooth, or tuberculate; glabrous, or pubescent, 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; subterete; 6–11 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus linear; 2–4 mm long; bearded; base pungent; attached obliquely. Spikelet callus hairs red.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; shiny. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; dark brown; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong; 3 -veined.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 4 mm long; hyaline; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins. Fertile lemma linear; hyaline; without keel; 1 -veined. Lemma apex entire; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 25–70 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn hispidulous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north, Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: southwestern.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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