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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.
Agropyron fragile
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 30–80 cm long. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 6–15 cm long; 2–4 mm wide.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; linear; bilateral; 5–15 cm long; 5–12 mm wide. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded. Rhachis internodes oblong.
Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8–13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 5–7 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein eciliate, or ciliate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Lower glume apex acuminate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 0–1.5 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 5–7 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein eciliate, or ciliate. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Upper glume apex acuminate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0–1.5 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 6–8.5 mm long; chartaceous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1 mm long overall. Palea keels ciliate; with 12–40 enations per keel. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Anthers 3.5–4 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; sulcate on hilar side; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis. Disseminule comprising a floret.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: eastern. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, China, and Mongolia. North America: northwest USA and south-central USA.
NOTES Triticeae. Fl Eur 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
