Thelepogon Roth

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips And S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Habit

Annual

Leaves

Leaf-blades broad; ligule shortly membranous

Inflorescences

Inflorescence a terminal bunch of shortly pedunculate racemes; internodes thickened, clavate, glabrous

Sessile

Sessile spikelet dorsally compressed; callus obtuse and fitting the concave top of the internode; lower glume crustaceous, convex, without keels or wings; upper glume broadly convex across the back, wingless; lower floret ♂, with hyaline lemma and well-developed palea; upper lemma bifid, passing between the teeth into a glabrous awn

Fruits

Caryopsis ellipsoid

Spikelets

Pedicelled spikelet absent, represented only by a flattened linear pedicel. Sessile spikelet dorsally compressed; callus obtuse and fitting the concave top of the internode; lower glume crustaceous, convex, without keels or wings; upper glume broadly convex across the back, wingless; lower floret ♂, with hyaline lemma and well-developed palea; upper lemma bifid, passing between the teeth into a glabrous awn

Pedicelled

Pedicelled spikelet absent, represented only by a flattened linear pedicel.

Gramineae, T. A. Cope. Flora Zambesiaca 10:4. 2002

Habit

Annual; ligule shortly membranous; leaf laminas broad.

Inflorescences

Inflorescence a terminal cluster of shortly pedunculate racemes; rhachis internodes thickened, clavate, glabrous.

Spikelets

Sessile spikelet dorsally compressed; callus obtuse and fitting the concave apex of the internode; inferior glume crustaceous, convex across the back, coarsely rugose, without keels or wings; superior glume broadly convex across the back, rugose, wingless; inferior floret male, with hyaline lemma and well developed palea; superior lemma bifid, passing between the teeth into a glabrous awn. Pedicelled spikelet absent, represented only by a flattened linear pedicel.

Fruits

Caryopsis ellipsoid.

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Habit

Annual. Culms erect; 10-92.5-150 cm long. Lateral branches sparse (1/1). Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades lanceolate.

Inflorescences

Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes single (1), or paired (1), or digitate; bearing 10-13 fertile spikelets on each (1/1). Rhachis fragile at the nodes; angular. Rhachis internodes linear (1), or cuneate (1). Rhachis internode tip transverse; cupuliform. Raceme-bases filiform. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels linear.

Sterile

Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels.

Spikelets

Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets. Spikelets lanceolate (1), or elliptic (1), or ovate (1); dorsally compressed; 5-7.75-13 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent (1), or pilose (1); base obtuse; inserted. Companion sterile spikelets represented by barren pedicels.

Fertile

Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets. Spikelets lanceolate (1), or elliptic (1), or ovate (1); dorsally compressed; 5-7.75-13 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pubescent (1), or pilose (1); base obtuse; inserted.

Glume

Glumes exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; indurate; without keels; 7 -veined (1), or 9 -veined (1). Lower glume surface muricate (1), or rugose (1). Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic (1), or ovate (1); chartaceous; without keels (1), or 1-keeled (1); 3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth (1), or rugose (1). Upper glume apex acuminate.

Florets

Basal sterile florets male; with palea (1), or without significant palea (1). Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate (1), or elliptic (1); hyaline; 2 -veined (1/1). Fertile lemma lanceolate (1), or ovate (1); hyaline; without keel; 5 -veined (1/1). Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.5 of lemma length; awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate. Palea hyaline; without keels.

Distribution

Africa (1), or Tropical Asia (1), or Australasia (1).