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.

Trachypogon vestitus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 40–110 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–10 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 15–30 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; densely hairy; hairy on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1(–3); single, or paired, or digitate; straight, or flexuous; 5–23 cm long. Central inflorescence axis with scattered hairs. Rhachis tough; subterete. Rhachis internodes linear. Rhachis internode tip oblique; flat.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster; on longer pedicels than sterile. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; tip oblique.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; oblong; dorsally compressed; 5.7–7 mm long; shorter than fertile; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; distinctly veined; 9–11 -veined; pubescent; obtuse. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 2; enclosed by glumes; 4–6 mm long; muticous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; subterete; 6–9 mm long; falling entire. Spikelet callus linear; 1–2 mm long; bearded; base pungent; attached obliquely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume surface grooved on either side of midvein.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 6 mm long; 0.9 length of spikelet; hyaline; ciliate on margins. Fertile lemma linear; 0.5 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; geniculate; 30–60 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn plumose. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 4 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, and Brazil.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Fl. Meso-Amer. 2004.

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