Vaseyochloa multinervosa

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes absent, or elongated. Culms 50–100 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 15–35 cm long; 2–5 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 4–10; borne along a central axis; drooping; unilateral; 2–8 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2–10 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 6–20 cm long. Rhachis angular. Raceme-bases filiform.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–11 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–18 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex emarginate, or obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 4–6 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume apex emarginate, or obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile florets imbricate to tip. Fertile lemma ovate; 5–7 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma surface pilose; hairy below. Lemma apex emarginate, or obtuse. Palea readily splitting down midline; elliptic; 0.75 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels winged; scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; orbicular; laterally compressed; concavo-convex; 2.5–3 mm long; dark brown, or black; striate; glabrous; apex bicornate.

DISTRIBUTION North America: south-central USA.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Gould.

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