Themeda villosa

HABIT Perennial. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms robust; 200–300 cm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades 50–100 cm long; 6–12 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; paniculate; 30–60 cm long; dense. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole lanceolate; 2.5–3.5 cm long; scarious; green; without tubercles; glabrous.

Racemes 1; single; oblong; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2–4 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes. Rhachis internodes linear.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 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; 5–13 mm long; larger than fertile. Basal sterile spikelet glumes smooth, or tuberculate; pubescent; smooth on margins, or ciliate on margins (rufously); lower glume muticous.

Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 10–12 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; 7–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; bearded; base acute; attached obliquely. Spikelet callus hairs red.

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 red. Lower glume apex obtuse. 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; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 0–10 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous. Palea absent or minute.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Pacific: north-central.

NOTES Andropogoneae. WDC.

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