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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 sylvaticum
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–90 cm long; wiry; 4–5 -noded. Culm-internodes smooth. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaf-sheaths smooth; pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–6 mm long. Leaf-blades 15–35 cm long; 4–12 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; pilose.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; drooping, or erect; bilateral; 6–20 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 4–14 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; lax; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear, or oblong; 0.5–2 mm long.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 8–16 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; 6–8 mm long; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate, or oblong; 8–11 mm long; 0.9–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 7–11 mm long; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical; 8–12 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 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 far east, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Malesia, and Papuasia. 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.
