|
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 longissima
HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms geniculately ascending; 40–110 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 5–10 cm long; 3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; not deciduous as a whole, or deciduous as a whole.
Racemes 1; single; linear; unilateral, or bilateral; 10–20 cm long; bearing 10–20 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis tough, or fragile at the nodes. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes oblong; 1 length of fertile spikelet; when fragile falling with spikelet above.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets absent, or rudimentary; 0–1 in number.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 12–14 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 7–8 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; without keels; 6–7 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins distinct; ribbed. Lower glume apex dentate, or lobed; 2 -fid; muticous, or awned, or awned only on distal spikelets; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 3–10 mm long. Upper glume oblong; 7–8 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; without keels; 6–7 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins distinct; ribbed; parallel at apex. Upper glume apex dentate, or lobed; 2 -fid; muticous, or awned, or awned only on distal spikelets; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 3–10 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 8–10 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; keeled above; 5 -veined. Lemma apex dentate; 1–2 -fid; awned only on distal spikelets; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subterete below; 40–60 mm long overall. 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 rhachis internode, or inflorescence.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: north. Asia-temperate: western Asia.
NOTES Triticeae. Eig 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
