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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 tomentosus

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 10–60 cm long. Culm-internodes distally pubescent. Leaf-sheaths pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 7–15 cm long; 2–4 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear, or elliptic; 4–10 cm long; 2–4 cm wide; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches ascending; 1–2 -nate; indistinct the panicle almost racemose; bearing 1 fertile spikelets on each lower branch.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 7–9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 15–25 mm long; 3–5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 6–8 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; purple; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–10 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or elliptic; 10–14 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough on veins. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subapical; straight, or curved; 2–3 mm long overall. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 4–4.5 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 Asia-temperate: Caucasus and western Asia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Bromeae. Fl Turk 1993.

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