Tripogon liouae

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 10–30 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; 1.5–6 cm long; 1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; flexuous; unilateral; 2–8 cm long. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded; 0.5 their length apart.

Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 7–15 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6–15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; asymmetrical; 1.8–2.5 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate, or oblong; 2.7–4 mm long; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex emarginate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or oblong; 2.2–2.6 mm long; membranous; black; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins excurrent. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; truncate to acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; straight; 1.8–2.8 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels winged; narrowly winged; ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 1; 1.3–1.8 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Phillips & Chen 2003.

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