Kerriochloa C.E. Hubb.
Named for the collector of the type specimen (Kerr 17718).
Habit, vegetative morphology. Slender perennial; decumbent. Culms 20–25 cm high; herbaceous; branched above. Leaves not basally aggregated; non-auriculate. Leaf blades flat (short); without cross venation; 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 sterile; overtly heteromorphic (the pedicelled member very reduced); all in heterogamous combinations. Viviparous.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence of solitary, shortly peduncled terminal ‘racemes’; non-digitate; spatheate (the fragile, spicate racemes partially enclosed by narrow spathes). Spikelet-bearing axes ‘racemes’; solitary; with substantial rachides; disarticulating; disarticulating at the joints. ‘Articles’ non-linear (cuneate); not appendaged; disarticulating transversely; densely long-hairy. Spikelets paired; somewhat secund; sessile and pedicellate; consistently in ‘long-and-short’ combinations; in pedicellate/sessile combinations. Pedicels of the ‘pedicellate’ spikelets free of the rachis. The ‘shorter’ spikelets hermaphrodite. The ‘longer’ spikelets sterile (reduced to the G1).
Female-sterile spikelets. The pedicelled spikelet much smaller, reduced to its membranous, nerveless G1.
Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets 5–6 mm long; slightly compressed laterally; falling with the glumes (deciduous with the adjacent internode and pedicel). Rachilla terminated by a female-fertile floret. Hairy callus present. Callus short; blunt (truncate).
Glumes two; more or less equal; long relative to the adjacent lemmas; free; hairy; without conspicuous tufts or rows of hairs; not pointed (the (G1) obtuse, the G2 notched); the G2 awned (from its sinus); carinate (G2), or non-carinate (G1); very dissimilar (G1 dorsally convex and awnless, G2 cymbiform, awned). Lower glume not two-keeled (wingless, the margins incurved); convex on the back; with a conspicuous pit; relatively smooth; 5 nerved. Upper glume 3 nerved. Spikelets with incomplete florets. The incomplete florets proximal to the female-fertile florets. Spikelets with proximal incomplete florets. The proximal incomplete florets 1; sterile (much shorter than the glumes). The proximal lemmas awnless; 3 nerved; decidedly exceeding the female-fertile lemmas; similar in texture to the female-fertile lemmas to decidedly firmer than the female-fertile lemmas (thinly membranous, with broad hyaline margins, entire); not becoming indurated.
Female-fertile florets 1. Lemmas less firm than the glumes (hyaline); not becoming indurated; incised; 2 lobed; not deeply cleft; awned. Awns 1; median; from a sinus; geniculate; hairless; much longer than the body of the lemma. Lemmas hairless; non-carinate; without a germination flap; 3 nerved. Palea present; shorter than the L2; entire (acuminate); awnless, without apical setae; not indurated (hyaline); 2-nerved. Lodicules present; 2; free; glabrous; toothed (conspicuously bidentate). Stamens 3. Anthers not penicillate; without an apically prolonged connective. Ovary glabrous. Styles fused. Stigmas 2; red pigmented.
Fruit, embryo and seedling. Fruit not noticeably compressed. Hilum short. Embryo large.
Taxonomy. Panicoideae; Andropogonodae; Andropogoneae; Andropogoninae.
Distribution, ecology, phytogeography. 1 species; Thailand and Cambodia. Species of open habitats.
Paleotropical. Indomalesian. Indo-Chinese.
References, etc. Morphological/taxonomic: Hubbard 1951.
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).