Urochloa Panicoides - Description

Description

  • Habitat: annual; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 10–100 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blade base amplexicaul. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 2–25 cm long; 5–18 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blade margins tuberculate-ciliate; hairy at base.
  • Inflorescence: Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 2–7(–10); borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1–7 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 1–9 cm long. Rhachis narrowly winged; angular; glabrous on surface, or with scattered hairs. Spikelet packing abaxial; regular; 2 -rowed. Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled. Pedicels bearing a few hairs.
  • Fertile spikelets: Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; compressed strongly; plano-convex; acute; (2.5–)3.5–4.5(–5.5) mm long; falling entire.
  • Glumes: Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; clasping; 0.5(–0.66) times length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic; 1 times length of spikelet; membranous; without s; 7–11 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate.
  • Floret: Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; elliptic; 1 times length of spikelet; membranous; 5–7 -veined; glabrous, or pubescent; eciliate on margins, or setose on margins; acuminate. Fertile lemma orbicular; dorsally compressed; 2 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse; mucronate. Principal lemma awn 0.3–1 mm long overall. Palea indurate.

Urochloa setigera can be confused with forms of U. panicoides with pubescent, paired spikelets, especially when the base is missing. Urochloa panicoides has less abruptly cuspidate spikelets, a more coarsely rugose fertile floret, and a much longer mucro on the upper lemma.

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