Thuarea perrieri

HABIT Annual. Stolons present. Culms decumbent; 15–30 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes pubescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2–8 cm long; 4–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; deciduous as a whole; subtended by sheathless blades; exserted. Peduncle widened at apex; disarticulating; disarticulating above uppermost sheath; base blunt.

Racemes 1; single; erect; lanceolate; unilateral; 1.5–2 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis broadly winged; foliaceous; folded transversely to form a capsule; glabrous on surface to pubescent on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing adaxial; regular; 1 -rowed.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets male (deciduous); 2–7 in number; 4–5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 5–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Upper glume ovate; 0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 5–6 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.

NOTES Paniceae. Gr Madag 1997.

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