Thrasya axillaris

HABIT Annual. Culms rambling; 20–40 cm long; 2–3 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.6–0.9 mm long; acute. Leaf-blades 3–10 cm long; 1.5–2.7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary. Peduncle 2–4 cm long.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 1.8–3 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; 0.4–0.6 mm wide; terminating in a barren extension; extension flattened. Spikelet packing alternately adaxial and abaxial; regular; 1 -rowed.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels fused to internode; united wholly; reduced to a stump; scabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 0.9–1.1 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes both absent or obscure.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; hyaline; 3 -veined; obscurely veined; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 0.9–1.1 mm long; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma surface punctate. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea coriaceous.

FLOWER Anthers 2.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America and Brazil.

NOTES Paniceae. Fl Guiana 1997.

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