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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.
Xerochloa imberbis
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 15–75 cm long; 3–5 -noded. Culm-nodes glabrous. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.15–0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades linear, or filiform; flat, or involute; 6–25 cm long; 0.8–4 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound; linear; 3–10 cm long; open; with principal spatheoles embracing a compact fascicle of racemes, each subtended by a subsidiary bract. Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary; deciduous as a whole; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole oblong; scarious.
Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 0.8–1.5 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 3–5 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis angular; glabrous on surface; terminating in a barren extension; extension subulate; extension 3–4 mm long.
Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5.8–12 mm long; 1.1–1.5 mm wide; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus glabrous.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong, or ovate; 1–2 mm long; 0.15–0.2 length of spikelet; hyaline, or membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate, or acute, or acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate, or oblong; 4.5–9 mm long; 0.6–0.8 length of spikelet; chartaceous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins obscure. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex truncate, or acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate, or obovate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 5–7 -veined; obscurely veined; sulcate; glabrous; acute, or acuminate. Palea of lower sterile floret membranous; 1 length of lemma. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5.5–11 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma margins flat. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea cartilaginous.
FLOWER Anthers 3; 3.4 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China and Malesia. Australasia: Australia.
NOTES Paniceae. Webster.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
