DINEBRA

Dinebra Jacq., Fragm. 77, t. 121/1. 1809; Boiss., Fl. Or. 5: 557. 1884; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 7: 296. 1897; Blatter & McCann, Bombay Grasses 264. 1935; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 491. 1960; Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 70. 1989; Sun & Phillips, Fl. China @ eFloras.org 22: 470; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 79.

Annuals. Leaf blades linear, flat; ligule membranous, truncate, lacerate or ciliate. Inflorescence a narrow panicle, comprising several secund racemes arranged irregularly along a central axis; racemes short and broad to linear and narrow, crowded to distant. Spikelets sessile, wedge-shaped, laterally compressed, 2-seriate, closely overlapping, 1-many flowered, disarticulating between the florets; rachis flattened. Glumes persistent, much longer than the florets, subequal, lower smaller than upper, lanceolate, acuminate-aristate, 1-nerved, strongly keeled, coriaceous or membranous. Lemmas much smaller than glumes, broadly ovate, thinly membranous, apex acute to 2-lobed, 3-nerved, keeled, keels pubescent or glabrous. Palea slightly shorter than lemma, hyaline, 2-keeled, keels scabrid. Caryopsis elliptic, trigonous.

24 species

Dinebra chinensis

Dinebra chinensis (L.) P.M. Peterson & N. Snow, Ann. Bot. (Oxford) 109: 1326. 2012; Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees, Syll. Pl. Nov. 1: 4. 1822; Bor, Grasses Burma, Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 516. 1960; Sharma & Khosla, Grasses Punj. and Chandigarh 89. 1989; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 22: 470; Poa chinensis L., Sp.Pl. 1: 69. 1753.

Annual. Culms erect, geniculately ascending or decumbent; rooting from nodes, nodes glabrous, 30-100 cm. Leaf blades linear, flat or rolled, (8-)17-40 cm x 3-10 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy, scabrid on both surfaces or abaxial surface smooth, apex acuminate; leaf sheaths loose with scattered tubercle-based hairs; ligule short, 1 mm long, membranous, lacerate. Inflorescence 10-50 cm long, open, composed of several (up to 60 or more) racemes scattered along a central axis; racemes 5-11 cm long, stout, alternate, opposite or whorled in groups of 3-5, secund, spreading or suberect. Spikelets minute, 3-4 mm long, oblong-elliptic, slightly laterally compressed, short-pedicelled (pedicels ca. 0.5 mm long), scaberulous, alternate, imbricate, arranged in 2 rows on one side of rachis, 4-7-flowered; rachis scabrid, disarticulating between the florets. Glumes persistent, unequal, oblong-lanceolate, acute, 1-nerved, keeled, keels scabrid; upper glume longer, 1.3-2 mm than the lower one, 1.3-1.5 mm. Lemmas 1.5-2 mm long, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, apiculate, 3-nerved, nerves sparsely pilose. Palea as long as the lemma, 2-keeled, keels pilose or minutely hispid. Stamens 3; anthers ca. 0.4 mm long. Stigmas 2, pilose. Caryopsis broadly obovoid, ca. 0.8 mm long.

Flowering and Fruiting: August to January
Common Names: Red Sprangletop, Asian Sprangletop, Chinese Sprangletop