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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.
Trichloris pluriflora
HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose. Stolons absent, or present. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms 100–150 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled; glabrous on surface, or hirsute. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 15–30 cm long; 5–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib evident. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides; glabrous, or hirsute; sparsely hairy.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 7–20; digitate; in several whorls; erect; unilateral; 10–20 cm long. Rhachis scabrous on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 5–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3–5 mm long; chartaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface asperulous; rough above. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy in the middle. Lemma apex acute; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 8–12 mm long overall. Lateral lemma awns 0.5–1.5 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins. Apical sterile florets 2–3 in number; barren; separate; lanceolate; 1–3 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas glabrous, or pilose; adorned on margins; awned; 3 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 0.2–8 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; ellipsoid; dorsally compressed; concavo-convex; 1.8–2.2 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION North America: south-central USA and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, and southern South America.
NOTES Cynodonteae. WDC.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
