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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.
Chrysopogon humbertianus
HABIT Perennial. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms 15–25 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths keeled; puberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 3–3.5 cm long; 3 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Peduncle pubescent above.
Panicle open; oblong; dense; 5–6 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 1–1.2 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; pilose.
Racemes bearing a triad of spikelets; 1 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis obsolete.
Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; 0.5 length of fertile spikelet.
STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; 4.5 mm long; shorter than fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes chartaceous; 3 -veined; awned; one glume awned; with 3–6 mm long awn. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes; muticous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 6.5–7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus cuneate; bearded; base pungent.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate, or oblong; 6.5–7 mm long; 1 length of spikelet; cartilaginous; without keels. Lower glume apex attenuate; mucronate. Upper glume oblong; 6–6.5 mm long; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Upper glume surface hispidulous. Upper glume awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 8 mm long.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret hyaline. Fertile lemma oblong; 3.5–4 mm long; hyaline; without keel. Lemma apex entire; acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn geniculate; 12–15 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn puberulous. Palea absent or minute.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.
NOTES Andropogoneae. Camus 2007.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
