Coix

L.
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 703.
 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA25 P275 Coix pg 704.jpegCoix lacryma-jobiCindy Roché
Linda A. Vorobik

Plants annual or perennial; monoecious, pistillate and staminate spikelets on separate rames in the same inflorescence. Culms to 3 m, erect, creeping, or floating, branched; internodes solid. Leaves not aromatic; ligules membranous. Inflorescences axillary, of 2 (3) rames, 1 pistillate, the other (s) staminate, pistillate rames completely enclosed in indurate, globose to cylindric, modified leaf-sheaths, termed involucres, from which the staminate rames protrude. Pistillate rames each with 3 spikelets, 1 sessile and pistillate, the other 2 pedicellate and rudimentary; sessile spikelets somewhat dorsally compressed; glumes coriaceous, beaked; stigmas protruding from the involucres. Caryopses more or less globose. Staminate rames flexible, exserted from the involucre; spikelets in pairs or triplets, 1 sessile, the other (s) pedicellate, reduced, or absent; lower glumes chartaceous, with 15 or more veins, 2-keeled, keels winged above; upper glumes similar, with 1 keel; lower florets sometimes sterile; upper florets staminate; stamens 0 or 3; lodicules 2. Pedicels not fused to the rame axes, x = 5.

Distribution

N.J., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Pa., Tex., Ohio, La., Tenn., N.Y., Pacific Islands (Hawaii)

Discussion

Coix is a genus of about five species, one of which has been introduced into the Flora region. All the species are native to tropical Asia, where C. lacryma-jobi and, to a lesser extent, C. gigantea are harvested for food.

Lower Taxa

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Coix"
anatomy +  and kranz +
John W. Thieret +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
divergent +  and parallel +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
pseudopetiolate +
non-radiate +  and radiate +
well-developed +
usually linear +  and lanceolate occasionally ovate +
reduced +
spikelike +
purple +  and reddish +
floating +  and creeping +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (300 cm3,000 mm <br />3 m <br />) +
not woody +
N.J. +, Puerto Rico +, Virgin Islands +, Pa. +, Tex. +, Ohio +, La. +, Tenn. +, N.Y. +  and Pacific Islands (Hawaii) +
capillary +
sometimes longer +
concealing +
compressed +  and terete +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
compressed +  and rounded +
unequal +
coriaceous +
uncinate +
pedicellate +, pistillate +, sessile +  and staminate +
pedunculate +  and multiple-stalked +
1 +  and 15 +
2-keeled +
photosynthetic +
not aromatic +
coriaceous +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
complex +  and simple +
concealed +  and prominent +
pedicellate +
not fused +
dry +  and fleshy +
elongate +
jain1974a +  and watt1904a +
globose +  and cylindric +
pedicellate +, sessile +  and staminate +
sterile +  and bisexual +
compressed +
fused +  and free +
2 +  and 3 +
dome--shaped +  and triangular +
Gramineae +
Poaceae tribe Andropogoneae +
membranous +
sessile-pedicellate +
perennial +  and annual +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +