Castellia tuberculosa

HABIT Annual. Culms decumbent; 50–100 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades linear; 10–25 cm long; 1–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1–5; single, or borne along a central axis; unilateral; 3–10 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 0–12 cm long. Rhachis semiterete. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4–5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–3.5 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume; coriaceous; much thinner on margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic; 4.5–5 mm long; 1–1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; with scarious margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 4.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface tuberculate. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.3–0.6 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid. Hilum linear; 0.75 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, and northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: western Asia and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Poeae. WDC.

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