Mnesithea granularis*

Mnesithea granularis* (L.) R. de Koning
& M.S.M. Sosef. Blumea 31: 295 (1986).

Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily Panicoideae. Andropogoneae.

Basionym and/or
Replacement Name:
 Cenchrus
granularis
L., Mant. Pl. 2: 575 (1771).

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: India:,
(HT: LINN-1217.12).

Recent synonyms:
Hackelochloa granularis.

Key references
(books and floras):
[1878] G.Bentham, Flora Australiensis 7 (511 as Manisuris
granularis
), [1952] C.A.Gardner, Flora of Western Australia 1 Gramineae
(308 as Hackelochloa), [1969] E.E.Henty, Manual Grasses New
Guinea
(105 as Hackelochloa), [2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass,
Grasses of Australia
.

Illustrations:
[1952] C.A.Gardner, Flora of Western
Australia
1 Gramineae (307, Pl.90 as Hackelochloa).

Habit. Annual.
Culms erect, 5–100 cm tall. Mid-culm nodes pubescent or bearded. Lateral
branches branched. Leaf-sheaths hairy. Ligule a fringed membrane, a ciliolate
membrane or a ciliate membrane, 1–1.5 mm long. Leaf-blades linear to
lanceolate, 2–15 cm long, 3–12 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface indumented.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, composed of rames. Peduncle distinct. Rhachis fragile
at the nodes.

Spikelets. Spikelets
sessile, 1 in the cluster. Companion spikelets pedicelled, 1 in the cluster.
Companion spikelets developed, containing empty lemmas or male, asymmetrical,
1.5–2.5 mm long. Companion spikelet glumes muticous. Fertile spikelets
2-flowered, the lower floret barren (rarely male), the upper fertile,
comprising 1 basal sterile florets, comprising 1 fertile floret(s), without
rachilla extension, orbicular, dorsally compressed, 1.5–2.5 mm long.

Glumes. Glumes
dissimilar, firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular, indurate, without
keels. Upper glume oblong or obovate, membranous or cartilaginous, without
keels, 3 -nerved. Florets. Basal sterile florets 1, barren, without
significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret hyaline, 0 -nerved.

Fertile lemma 1 mm
long, without keel, 0 -nerved. Palea 0 -nerved, without keels.

Continental
Distribution
: Africa, Temperate Asia, Tropical Asia, Australasia, North
America, and South America.

Australian
Distribution
: Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland.

Western
Australia
: Gardner.
Northern Territory:
Darwin & Gulf. Queensland:
Burke, Cook, North Kennedy, South Kennedy.

Notes. A
pantropic weed; occurs in northern tropical Australia. Flowers Feb.--May.

 

AVH 2011

   

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith