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Descriptions

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

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

Tripsacum peruvianum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect; robust; 100–250 cm long. Culm-internodes distally hirsute. Leaf-sheaths hirsute. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a false petiole. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 30–140 cm long; 30–45 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous; hairless except near base.

INFLORESCENCE Monoecious; with male and female spikelets in the same inflorescence. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary. Peduncle hirsute above.

Racemes 3–5; digitate; erect; smoothly terete; unilateral; 17–22 cm long. Rhachis female fragile at the nodes; subcylindrical and excavated. Spikelet packing abaxial. Rhachis internodes oblong; adherent to upper glume of sessile spikelet. Rhachis internode tip transverse; crateriform.

Sexes segregated; on bisexual branches; with male above. Spikelets sunken; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile. Male spikelets sessile; 2 in a cluster.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 5.5–7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus base truncate; with central peg; attached transversely.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; indurate; without keels. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; cartilaginous; without keels. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline. Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; without keel. Palea hyaline.

MALE Male spikelets distinct from female; all deciduous together; lanceolate, or elliptic; 5–7 mm long; hairy. Male spikelet glumes 2; coriaceous; muticous.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Andropogoneae. De Wet & Timothy 2004.

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