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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Leptothrium
HABIT Perennial. Culms geniculately ascending; 10–33.75–60 cm long; wiry. Leaf-sheath auricles absent (1), or erect (1). Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate (1).
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes borne along a central axis; in a multilateral false spike; spreading; cuneate; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each (1), or 2 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis obsolete; deciduous from axis. Raceme-bases cuneate.
Spikelets solitary (1), or in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster (1), or 2 in the cluster; subequal, or the upper smaller.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear, or lanceolate; laterally compressed; symmetrical (1), or gibbous (1); 2.5–5.875–8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; parallel to lemmas (1), or recurved at apex (1). Lower glume linear (1), or lanceolate; 1–1.325–2 length of upper glume; coriaceous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume surface convex, or flat; smooth, or scabrous (1), or tuberculate (1); without pits. Lower glume apex acute (1), or attenuate (1), or setaceously attenuate (1), or cuspidate (1), or rostrate (1), or caudate. Upper glume linear (1), or lanceolate (1), or oblong (1); not gibbous (1), or gibbous (1); 2–3.25–4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliate. Upper glume surface scabrous (1), or tuberculate (1). Upper glume apex acuminate (1), or caudate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; hyaline; without keel; wingless; 1 -veined. Lemma surface unwrinkled; without grooves. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex obtuse (1), or acute (1). Palea 0.3–0.55–0.8 length of lemma; hyaline; 0 -veined; without keels (1), or 2-keeled (1).
FLOWER Anthers 3.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform (1), or ellipsoid (1); laterally compressed; biconvex. Embryo 0.5 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION Africa (1), or Temperate Asia (1), or Tropical Asia (1), or South America (1).
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
