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Descriptions

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

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

Urelytrum agropyroides

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 50–200 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; (2–)3–6 mm long; lacerate; acute. Leaf-blades 10–40 cm long; 1–6 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface ribbed. Leaf-blade margins spinulose.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1(–2); single, or paired; smoothly terete; 8–25 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on surface, or pubescent on surface. Rhachis internodes cuneate. Rhachis internode tip oblique; crateriform; with scarious rim.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels cuneate; glabrous, or pubescent; tip cupuliform.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas, or containing empty lemmas, or male; elliptic; 2–7 mm long; shorter than fertile; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; awned; one glume awned; with (1–)3–7(–12) mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 0–2; enclosed by glumes.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 7–10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus oblong; pubescent; base obtuse; inserted.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; without keels; keel-less except near apex. Lower glume surface smooth, or spinose, or muricate; rough on flanks; glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret linear; hyaline; 2 -veined. Fertile lemma lanceolate; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea hyaline.

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

NOTES Andropogoneae. FTEA.

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