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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.
Brachypodium distachyon
HABIT Annual. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 3–30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 1–12 cm long; 1–6 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; bilateral; 2–8(–10) cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 1–7 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 0.5–1 mm long.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–16 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 5–6 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; coriaceous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 7–8 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins ribbed. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; coriaceous; glaucous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pilose. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 8–12 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; ciliate. Anthers 3; 0.5–1 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; hairy at apex. Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, northeast tropical, south, and middle Atlantic ocean. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia. North America: northwest USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, and Mexico. South America: western South America and southern South America.
NOTES Brachypodieae. Fl Iraq.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
