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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 muricatum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 120–250 cm long; 3–5 mm diam. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 45–90 cm long; 3–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–4; paired, or digitate; straight; smoothly terete; 15–26 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; semiterete; glabrous on surface, or pubescent on surface. Rhachis internodes oblong; 9–11 mm long. Rhachis internode tip oblique; crateriform; with scarious rim. Raceme-bases linear; 1–4 mm long.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; 8–10 mm long; puberulous; tip cupuliform.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; elliptic; 7–8.5 mm long; as long as fertile; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet glumes coriaceous; inconspicuously veined, or distinctly veined; 5 -veined; attenuate; awned; one glume awned; with 50–80 mm long awn.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; obtuse, or acute; 7–10 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus brief; pubescent; base truncate; 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; spinose, or muricate; rough on flanks; glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; coriaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein spinulose. Upper glume margins ciliolate.

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

FLOWER Anthers 3; 2.5–5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical.

NOTES Andropogoneae. FWTA.

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