類蜀黍屬

Annuals; culms solid. Leaves very broad; sheath glabrous; ligule short, truncate; blade with rounded base and acute tip, midnerve broad, white, concave above. Inflorescence monoecious; the staminate spikelets in spike-like racemes, united into racemose-umbellate panicles, panicles terminal; the pistillate spikelets in solitary spike-like racemes enclosed in a spathe, united into axillary fascicles, rachis articulate, constricted between the joints. Staminate spikelets dorsiventrally arranged along the 2 abaxial sides of a triquetrous rachis; glumes as long as spikelet, herbaceous; lemmas smaller, thin membranous; paleate; locidules 2, fleshy. Pistillate spikelets apparently solitary, alternate, sunken in cavities of the rachis, subsessile, bracts strongly convex; glumes coriaceous, fleshy, margin thin membranous, almost embracing the spikelet; lower glume abaxial, lemmas and palea thin membranous; upper palea enveloping the ovary; lodicules absent; staminoides small or suppressed; ovary ovoid or flask-like; style 1, very long, apex entire, stigmatic hairs short. Caryopsis enclosed in a cavity formed by the strongly indurate rachis-joint and lower glume. About two species distributed in Mexico;

Only one species E. mexicana is reported from Taiwan in cultivation.

Lower Taxon

• Euchlaena mexicana Schrad.