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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.
Brachyelytrum japonicum
HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short. Culms 37.5–76 cm long; 0.5–0.9 mm diam.; 6–7 -noded. Culm-internodes 4.2–11.7 cm long; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths 3.7–5.4 cm long; glabrous on surface, or hispid. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3.2 mm long. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 8.1–14.5 cm long; 5–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins, or with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous; ciliate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 9–19 fertile spikelets.
Panicle open; linear, or oblong; 8.3–18 cm long; 0.4–0.8 cm wide; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches 1–5 in number; indistinct the panicle almost racemose, or simple, or sparsely divided; 2–55 cm long; bearing 1–4 fertile spikelets on each lower branch.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 10–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.8 mm long; pubescent.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2–2 mm long; 0.4–0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.8–4.8 mm long; 0.4–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1(–3) -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 10–12 mm long; herbaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; hispidulous; hairy on veins. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 9.5–19.4 mm long overall; limb scabrous. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 7.6–11.4 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Rhachilla extension 6.9–8.8 mm long.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 2; 3.3–4.5 mm long. Stigmas 2. Ovary beaked; pubescent all over.
FRUIT Caryopsis with tardily free pericarp; linear; 4.5–7 mm long; hairy at apex; apex rostrate.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia.
NOTES Brachyelytreae. Saarela et al 2004.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
