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Descriptions

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

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

Uniola virgata

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect; 100–200 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades curled; involute; 3–10 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes numerous; borne along a central axis; closely spaced; in a multilateral false spike; unilateral; 1–3 cm long; simple. Central inflorescence axis (10–)20–50(–80) cm long. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile. Pedicels oblong.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–5 basal sterile florets; (1–)2–5(–7) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; 4–5 mm long; 1.5–3 mm wide; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1–2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1–2 mm long; 0.4–0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to fertile lemma; ovate. Fertile lemma ovate; 2.5–3 mm long; cartilaginous; keeled; 3–5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lemma apex truncate, or obtuse; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 0.9–1.1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1–2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; 1 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Caribbean.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Yates 1993.

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