Leptochloa caerulescens Steud.

Global description

Leptochloa caerulescens is an annual grass with upright culms or mostly decumbent and rooting at the base, which reaches 1.50 m in height. The narrow leaves end in a tapered point. The inflorescence is long, stiff. It consists of an axis that carries thin regularly spaced racemes. The spikelets are narrow, purple when ripe.

General habit

Annual grass in small upright tufts up to 1.50 m high.

Underground system

The roots are fasciculate, and roots appear at the lower nodes of the culms.

Culm

Culm is occasionally branched. Its habit is usually decumbent with rooting at the lower nodes, giving a stolon look. It can also be erect and sometimes spread out. It measures up to 1 m or even 1.50 m in height. Typically, it has 10 to 20 knots. It is hairless.

Leaf

The leaf has a narrow, flat linear blade with a tapered end and a scabrid margin. It is 20 cm long and 8 mm wide. The leaf sheath is long and glabrous. The ligule is membranous, hardly visible.

Inflorescence

The inflorescence is an elongated panicle, which is 10 to 30 cm long. It consists of a central straight axis on which spread simple branches, slender and wavy, straightened, measuring between 3 and 7 cm in length almost equal.

Spikelet

The spikelets are narrow, 2.5 to 3 mm long, purple when ripe. They consist of 3 to 6 flowers. The lower glume is closely lanceolate. It measures 0.75 to 1 mm long. The upper, closely oblong glume is 1.2 to 1.7 mm long. Its extremity is obtuse or emarginate, mucronate. The lemmas measure 1.5 to 2 mm long. They have small ciliums barely visible on the veins.

https://www.gbif.org/species/5942765