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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Tripogon major

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb; pallid. Culms erect; 20–65 cm long; wiry. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 5–25 cm long; 0.5–2 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; erect; straight; unilateral; 8–25 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous, or lax; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–18 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or oblong; laterally compressed; 13–25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes glabrous. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 0.25–0.33 length of lemma.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; parallel to lemmas, or gaping. Lower glume linear, or lanceolate; 4.1–8.4 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong; 6.2–11 mm long; 1.3–1.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 4.2–8.5 mm long; membranous; dark green, or grey; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins extending close to apex. Lemma apex emarginate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 1–5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels winged; narrowly winged; ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 2; 1.4–2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; isodiametric; biconvex; 2.2 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and southern tropical.

NOTES Eragrostideae. FTEA.

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