CHLORIS

Chloris Sw., Prodr. Veg. Ind. Occ. 1: 25. 1788; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 7: 289. 1897; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 464. 1960; Clayton, Kew Bull. 21: 105. 1967; Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 46. 1989; Sun & Phillips, Fl. China @ eFloras.org 22: 489; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 118.

Tufted, rhizomatous or stoloniferous annuals or perennials. Culms erect or ascending. Leaf blades linear, flat or folded, acuminate, acute or obtuse; leaf sheaths rounded or keeled; ligule membranous, short, ciliolate. Inflorescence of few to many, slender, digitate spikes. Spikelets secund, subsessile, alternate in 2 rows on tough rachis, 2-4(-6)-flowered; lowest floret bisexual, the second male or barren, the following if present often reduced; the florets disarticulating above glumes. Glumes 2, unequal, membranous, usually shorter than florets, lanceolate in sideview, 1-nerved, acute, acuminate or with an awn point, usually persistent. Callus +/- rounded, ciliate. Bisexual floret: Lemma cartilaginous or coriaceous, mostly laterally compressed and keeled, lanceolate to obovate, entire, acute, obtuse or emarginate at apex with a subapical awn, often ciliate on margins and keels; palea as long as the lemma, 2-keeled. Grain ellipsoid to lanceolate, usually trigonous. Male floret: Lemma and palea as in bisexual floret, but lemma smaller and glabrous. Rudimentary or reduced floret: Glabrous, awned or awnless, smaller to minute. Palea absent.

53 species

Chloris barbata

Chloris barbata Sw., Fl. Ind. Occid. 1: 200. 1797; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 7: 292. 1897; Blatter & McCann, Bombay Grasses 256. 1935; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 465. 1960; Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 48. 1989; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 22: 490; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 121; Andropogon barbatus L., Mantl. Pl. Alt. 302. 1771; Chloris inflata Link., Enum. Pl. Hort. Berol. 1: 105. 1821; C. rufescens Steud., Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 206. 1854.

Annual. Culms tufted, erect or ascending from the geniculate creeping base, rooting at lower nodes, 30-60 cm long, glabrous. Leaf blades linear, longly acuminate, 15- 25 cm long and up to 6 mm wide, flat or folded, glabrous or with few tubercle-based hairs at base and in apical region; leaf sheaths striate, keeled, glabrous, ciliate at mouth; ligule short, 0.5-1 mm, membranous, ciliolate. Spikes 5-14, digitately arranged in a terminal fascicle, 5-8 cm long, suberect or flexuous; rachis ciliate at base. Spikelets plump, 2.5-3 mm long (excluding awns), 3-flowered, 3-awned; rachilla produced but not beyond the fertile lemma. Glumes unequal, membranous, 1-nerved, persistent; lower glume ovate-lanceolate, acute, 1-1.5 mm long; upper glume +/- equal to lemma, 2-2.5 mm long, oblong, obtuse, mucronate, keeled, keel scabrid. Lower floret: Bisexual, fertile. Lemma 2-2.5 mm long, coriaceous, keeled, broadly elliptic, entire, shortly apiculate, densely bearded on the margins above the middle with 1-1.5 mm long hairs, subapically awned, awn up to 7 mm long, occasionally more. Palea as long as the lemma, 2- keeled. Upper florets: Usually 2, sterile, lemmas empty, inflated, overlapping to form a knob at side of fertile floret. Second lemma a glabrous, clavate or turbinate scale, 1-1.6 mm long, projecting from side of lowest lemma, awned, awn up to 7 mm. Third lemma also reduced to a glabrous clavate scale, 1 mm long, awned, awn 3-5 mm long. All florets along with caryopsis fall as a unit. Caryopsis ellipsoid.

Flowering and Fruiting: February to May
Common Names: Swollen Finger Grass, Airport Grass, Feather Finger Grass, Pea-Cock Plume Grass, Plush Grass, Purple top Chloris