Brachypodium perrieri

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes short. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 40–100 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth, or scaberulous. Culm-nodes pubescent. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 4–30 cm long; 1–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scabrous; pubescent; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; flexuous; bilateral; 5–15 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 3–7 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; lax.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels cuneate; 2 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 20–35 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 6–10 mm long; 0.75–0.85 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 7–11 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–12 mm long; 0.85–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 9.5–12 mm long; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; 5–9 mm long overall. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3. Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.

NOTES Brachypodieae. Bosser 1993.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.