Trachys muricata

HABIT Annual. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 15–30 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 2.5–5 cm long; 6–12 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; unilateral; 2.5–5 cm long; secondarily branched; secondary branches involucral. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; broadly winged; foliaceous; 2.5–4 mm wide.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 2–6 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets sessile; 2–6 in the cluster. Involucre composed of imperfect spikelets; oblong; 3–6 mm long.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; ovate; dorsally compressed; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas exserted from glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 3–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume subulate; 0.2–0.3 length of spikelet. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.5–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 9–13 -veined; cuspidate (spinous). Fertile lemma ovate; 2.5–5 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

NOTES Paniceae. WDC.

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