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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Brachypodium pinnatum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms erect; 30–120 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades 15–45 cm long; 2–6 mm wide; firm, or flaccid. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; drooping, or erect; bilateral; 4–25 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 3–15 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; lax; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear; 1–2 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 8–22 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 20–40 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–5 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3–6 -veined. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 5–7 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 6–10 mm long; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; 1–5 mm long overall. Palea oblong; 1 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 3.5–4.5 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, and northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, China, and Mongolia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: New Zealand. South America: southern South America.

NOTES Brachypodieae. CEH.

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