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Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Aegilops caudata
HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect; 25–50 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 2–5 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; deciduous as a whole.
Racemes 1; single; linear; smoothly terete; bilateral; 4–11 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing (3–)4–7(–9) fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis tough. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets rudimentary; 2 in number.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–12 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; asymmetrical; 9–10 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins unequally thickened; ribbed. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned only on distal spikelets (or shortly awned below); 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 40–100 mm long. Upper glume oblong; asymmetrical; 9–10 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins unequally thickened; ribbed; parallel at apex. Upper glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned only on distal spikelets (or shortly awned below); 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 40–100 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 9–10 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid, or 3 -fid; muticous. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Ovary pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex. Disseminule comprising a inflorescence.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern. Asia-temperate: western Asia.
NOTES Triticeae. Fl Turk 1993.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Glumes of distal spikelet entire.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.