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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Urochloa trichopus
HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending; 20–170 cm long. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pubescent; with tubercle-based hairs; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded, or amplexicaul. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 5–30 cm long; 5–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or hispid; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acute.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 3–20; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1–14 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 4–20 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; with sharp-edged midrib. Spikelet packing abaxial; regular; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; compressed strongly; plano-convex; acuminate; 2.5–5.5 mm long; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 0.6–0.8 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 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; 1.2–1.3 length of fertile lemma; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; ciliate on margins; acuminate. Fertile lemma orbicular; dorsally compressed; gibbous; hemispherical; 2–4 mm long; indurate; yellow; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma surface granulose; rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse; mucronate. Principal lemma awn 0.5–1 mm long overall. Palea orbicular; indurate. Palea apex obtuse.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Arabia. North America: south-central USA.
NOTES Paniceae. FTEA.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
