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Descriptions

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

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

Urochloa mosambicensis

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose. Stolons absent, or present. Butt sheaths pubescent. Culms geniculately ascending; 20–150 cm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 2–30 cm long; 3–20 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes (2–)3–15; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 2–8 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 3–12 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular. Spikelet packing abaxial; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; compressed strongly; plano-convex; acuminate; 3–5 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; (0.5–)0.66–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume surface without hair tufts, or with a dorsal tuft of hair. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; eciliate on margins, or setose on margins; acuminate. Fertile lemma orbicular; dorsally compressed; 2–4 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface granulose; rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse; mucronate. Principal lemma awn 0.5–1.2 mm long overall. Palea indurate.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-tropical: Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia. North America: south-central USA. South America: Brazil.

NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.

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