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.

Arundinella cannanorica

HABIT Annual. Culms erect; slender; 20–60 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths 1–8 cm long; striately veined; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2–5 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins glabrous, or tuberculate-ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; bearing juvenile spikelets at emergence.

Panicle open; ovate; 10–40 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 1–12 cm long. Panicle branches angular; bearded in axils.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels angular; 2–15 mm long; scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; acuminate; 4–6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose; obtuse. Floret callus hairs 0.25–0.5 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 3.5–4.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; purple; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins prominent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 5–5.5 mm long; 2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; mid-green and purple; 5 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins prominent. Upper glume apex caudate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea; persisting on inflorescence. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; 2.75–3 mm long; membranous; light green; 1-keeled; 5 -veined; obscurely veined; with unevenly spaced veins; obtuse. Palea of lower sterile floret 2–2.5 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate; 1.75–2 mm long; coriaceous; dark brown; without keel. Lemma surface papillose. Lemma margins involute; interlocking with palea keels. Lemma apex awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 8–10 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 4 mm long. Palea with auriculate flaps; 1.25–1.5 mm long; coriaceous; 2 -veined. Palea surface papillose.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; 0.3 mm long; fleshy. Anthers 3; 1–2 mm long; purple.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Arundinelleae. Nair et al 2006.

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