Glyphochloa W. D. Clayton
Habit, vegetative morphology. Annual. Culms 10–60 cm high; herbaceous; branched above. Leaves not basally aggregated. Leaf blades linear; broad to narrow; 5–15 mm wide; an unfringed membrane.
Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual, with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite florets. The spikelets of sexually distinct forms on the same plant; hermaphrodite and male-only, or hermaphrodite and sterile. The male and female-fertile spikelets mixed in the inflorescence. The spikelets overtly heteromorphic; all in heterogamous combinations.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence of single, dorsiventral ‘racemes’ terminating the culm branches. Rachides hollowed, or flattened. Inflorescence spatheate. Spikelet-bearing axes spikelike; solitary; with substantial rachides; disarticulating; disarticulating at the joints. ‘Articles’ non-linear (inflated, clavate or turbinate); with a basal callus-knob; disarticulating transversely, or disarticulating obliquely. Spikelets paired; secund (the raceme dorsiventral, with the sessile members in two alternating rows on one side of the rachis); consistently in ‘long-and-short’ combinations; in pedicellate/sessile combinations. Pedicels of the ‘pedicellate’ spikelets discernible, but fused with the rachis. The ‘shorter’ spikelets hermaphrodite. The ‘longer’ spikelets male-only, or sterile (?).
Female-sterile spikelets. The pedicelled spikelets as large as the sessile, male or neuter, G1 smooth and asymmetrically or unilaterally winged, G2 variously keel-winged.
Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets morphologically ‘conventional’ (but the G1 curiously winged, ornamented and awned); abaxial; compressed dorsiventrally; falling with the glumes (and with the joint plus the pedicelled spikelet from the same joint, by contrast with Manisuris sensu stricto). Rachilla terminated by a female-fertile floret. Hairy callus absent.
Glumes present; two; long relative to the adjacent lemmas; hairy, or hairless; without conspicuous tufts or rows of hairs; awned (the G1 1–2 aristate or tailed), or awnless (G. clarkei); non-carinate; very dissimilar (the G1 hardened, curiously ornamented and winged above, and aristate). Lower glume two-keeled; convex on the back; lacunose with deep depressions, or rugose, or tuberculate, or prickly (and laterally winged above the middle). Spikelets with incomplete florets. The incomplete florets proximal to the female-fertile florets. Spikelets with proximal incomplete florets. The proximal incomplete florets 1; sterile. The proximal lemmas awnless; 0 nerved, or 2 nerved; similar in texture to the female-fertile lemmas (hyaline).
Female-fertile florets 1. Lemmas less firm than the glumes (hyaline); not becoming indurated; entire; awnless; 0 nerved, or 2 nerved. Palea present. Lodicules present; 2; fleshy. Stamens 3.
Fruit, embryo and seedling. Hilum short. Embryo large.
Transverse section of leaf blade, physiology. C4; XyMS–.
Special diagnostic feature. Spikelets not arranged as in Manisuris (q.v.).
Taxonomy. Panicoideae; Andropogonodae; Andropogoneae; Rottboelliinae.
Distribution, ecology, phytogeography. 8 species; central and peninsular India. On rocks.
Paleotropical. Indomalesian. Indian.
References, etc. Morphological/taxonomic: Jain 1970.
Special comments. Anatomical data wanting.
Cite this publication as: Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M. J. (1992 onwards). ‘Grass Genera of the World: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval; including Synonyms, Morphology, Anatomy, Physiology, Phytochemistry, Cytology, Classification, Pathogens, World and Local Distribution, and References.’ http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/. Version: 18th August 1999. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1998), and Watson and Dallwitz (1994), and Watson, Dallwitz, and Johnston (1986) should also be cited (see References).