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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 auriculatum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 90–150 cm long; 2–4 mm diam.; 4–6 -noded. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 7–16 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 7–16 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or revolute; 15–70 cm long; 2.5–5 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1–3; single, or paired, or digitate; straight, or arcuate; smoothly terete; 10–15 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on surface; scaberulous on margins. Rhachis internodes oblong; 9–11 mm long. Rhachis internode tip oblique; crateriform; with scarious rim. Raceme-bases linear; 1–3 mm long.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; glabrous; tip cupuliform.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary; elliptic; 1–4 mm long; shorter than fertile; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; awned; one glume awned; with 65–100 mm long awn.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; subacute, or acute; 8–11 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; 5 -veined. Lower glume surface convex, or flat; smooth; glabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; scarious; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 2 -veined; ciliolate on margins; obtuse. Fertile lemma oblong, or ovate; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex acute. Palea lanceolate; hyaline; 2 -veined.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 4 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FWTA.

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