202. Capillipedium Stapf in Prain, Fl. Trop. Africa. 9: 169. 1917.
细柄草属 xi bing cao shu
Authors: Shou-liang Chen & Sylvia M. Phillips
Perennial or annual. Culms erect, decumbent or rambling. Leaf blades linear, sometimes aromatic; ligule membranous, margin ciliolate. Inflorescence a terminal open panicle with elongate central axis; branches capillary, subdivided, each branchlet tipped by a short raceme; racemes with 1–5(–8) spikelet pairs, often reduced to triads of 1 sessile and 2 pedicelled spikelets, basal homogamous spikelet pairs absent; rachis internodes and pedicels slender, with a median translucent stripe between thickened margins. Sessile spikelet dorsally compressed; callus very short, obtuse, shortly bearded; lower glume cartilaginous, broadly convex to slightly concave, flanks rounded, keeled toward apex, apex acute to obtuse; upper glume boat-shaped, dorsally keeled; lower floret reduced to a small empty hyaline lemma; upper lemma stipitiform, entire, awned from apex; awn geniculate, glabrous or puberulous. Pedicelled spikelet male or barren, similar to the sessile or smaller, herbaceous.
About 14 species: E Africa, tropical Asia, Australia; five species (one endemic) in China.
This homogeneous genus is distinguished from Bothriochloa by the combination of an elongate inflorescence and few-spiculate racemes.
