Note - this takes you off
of our website |
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.
Aegilops comosa
HABIT Annual. Culms erect, or decumbent; 15–40 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades conduplicate, or involute; 1–6 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; deciduous as a whole.
Racemes 1; single; linear; smoothly terete; bilateral; 3–7 cm long; bearing 2 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis semiterete. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes linear; 9–11 mm long; 1 length of fertile spikelet.
Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets rudimentary; 2(–3) in number.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 9–11 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 8–11 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Lower glume surface scabrous. Lower glume apex with a unilateral tooth, or dentate; 2 -fid; awned only on distal spikelets; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 3–12 mm long. Upper glume oblong; 8–11 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins parallel at apex. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex with a unilateral tooth, or dentate; 2 -fid; awned only on distal spikelets; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 3–12 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 9–11 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 2–3 -fid. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; ciliate. Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; hairy at apex. Disseminule comprising a inflorescence.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: western Asia.
NOTES Triticeae. Fl Iraq.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.