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Descriptions

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

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

Bromus riparius

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes absent, or short. Butt sheaths pilose; persistent and investing base of culm; with reticulate dead sheaths. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–60 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 10–18 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade margins glabrous, or ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 8–12 cm long; 4–10 cm wide.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 20–30 mm long; 4–7 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 7–9 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–11 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets divergent. Fertile lemma oblong; 10–13 mm long; chartaceous; mid-green, or purple; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; straight, or curved; 4–8 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 2.5–3.5 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage above style insertion; pubescent on apex.

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

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southeastern and eastern. Asia-temperate: Soviet far east, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and China.

NOTES Bromeae. Fl Turk 1993.

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