Sacciolepis indica (L.) Chase

Global description

Sacciolepis indica is a small, erect annual grass with a slender culm. The sheath is glabrous, auriculate at the top, the ligule is membranous and the leaf blade is narrowly linear, glabrous and shiny. The inflorescence is a dense, cylindrical, spiciform terminal panicle of oval, short-hairy spikelets.

General habit

Saciolepis indica is a generally erect annual grass, sometimes with an ascending and geniculate culm, rooting at the lower nodes. It is 10-120 cm tall.

Underground system

Fasciculated main roots and secondary roots developing at the lower nodes.

Culm

The culm is cylindrical, slender, simple or more or less branched with glabrous nodes.

Leaf

The sheath is glabrous, auriculate at the top. The ligule is membranous, truncate, up to 2 mm long, fused to the auricles. The blade is narrowly linear, 2-20 cm long and 1-7 mm wide, flat, glabrous on both sides (sometimes papillose behind the ligule). The apex is acute, the base is broadened and the margin is finely scabrous. The colour is bright green.

Inflorescence

The inflorescence is a terminal, erect, cylindrical, dense, more or less continuous, spiciform panicle completely outside the last leaf. It is 2 to 12 cm long and 4 to 7 mm in diameter. The first basal branches of the panicle are ascending and pressed along the central axis. The axis of the panicle has rounded ribs.

Spikelet

The spikelets are solitary and short-stalked. The spikelet is oval, laterally compressed, slightly gibbous, 2 to 3.5 mm long and short-hairy. The spikelet consists of a basal sterile floret and an upper fertile floret. The glumes are unequal. The lower glume is oval, measuring 1/3 to 2/3 the length of the spikelet. It has 3-5 veins, the apex is acuminate, the margin is hyaline, some short hairs are present at the apex between the veins. The upper glume is elliptical to oblong, gibbous, obtuse at the apex, the length of the spikelet. It has 7-9 veins, the margin is hyaline, and the upper half is shaggy.
The lower floret is sterile, slightly shorter than the spikelet. The lemma is similar to the upper glume, 5-7-veined and shaggy-haired in the upper part. The palea is reduced, hyaline.
The upper floret is fertile, lanceolate, acute. The lemma is elliptic, whitish to light yellow, crustaceous, smooth and shiny, dorsally compressed, 1-2 mm long, 5-veined, the margins closing over the palea. The palea is involuted, leathery and similar in appearance to the lemma.

Crain

The grain is oblong and elliptical, 1 mm long. The spikelet is falling entire at maturity.

Origin

Sacciolepis indica is native to India. This species is native to Asia, Australia and Africa.

Worldwide distribution

This species has been introduced in some islands of the south-west Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Reunion), in some Pacific islands (New Caledonia, Marquesas, Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand), in the south-east of the USA, in some Caribbean islands (Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe), in Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua), and South America (Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana).

https://www.gbif.org/species/2703626