Tricholaena monachne

HABIT Perennial; short-lived; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–120 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 5–20 cm long; 1–6 mm wide; stiff, or firm; glaucous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 6–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches branching divaricately. Panicle branches capillary.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 1.5–2.5 mm long; falling entire; readily shedding fertile florets.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.1 mm long; 0.05 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; (3–)5 -veined. Upper glume apex emarginate, or truncate, or obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; glabrous; eciliate on margins, or ciliolate on margins; emarginate, or truncate, or obtuse. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 1.5–2 mm long; cartilaginous; pallid; shiny; without keel; 3–5 -veined. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acute. Palea cartilaginous; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Anthers 3. Stigmas terminally exserted.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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