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Descriptions

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

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

Microstegium lanceolatum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 20–40 cm long. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths tight; keeled; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3–8 cm long; 6–10 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute, or acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–3; paired, or digitate; 3–6 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform; 0.5–1 length of fertile spikelet.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; ciliate.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; dorsally compressed; 5–6 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base obtuse; attached transversely. Spikelet callus hairs 1 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; coriaceous; 2-keeled; keeled obtusely; 4–7 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume surface with a longitudinal median groove. Lower glume apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; acute. Upper glume oblong; membranous, or chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute; muticous.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; hyaline; 0–1 -veined; without midvein, or with evident midvein; without lateral veins. Fertile lemma oblong; 4–5 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 8–10 mm long overall; with twisted column.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Keng 2006.

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