Zenkeria jainii

HABIT Perennial. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms decumbent; 45–60 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes 5–14 cm long. Leaf-sheaths 8–16 cm long; glabrous on surface, or pilose. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 15–50 cm long; chartaceous. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic; dense; 14–18 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches capillary; villous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.5–1.5 mm long; ciliate.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 5–5.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Floret callus pilose; obtuse.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume ovate; 3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 3 mm long; 0.6 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface villous; hairy below. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 4 mm long. Palea keels ciliate; adorned below.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.7 mm long; veinless. Anthers 3; 2–2.5 mm long; purple.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Arundineae. Nair et al 2006.

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