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Descriptions

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

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

Catapodium marinum

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 3–20 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–3 mm long; erose; acute. Leaf-blades 1–10 cm long; 1–3.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle, or composed of racemes (in weak plants).

Panicle spiciform; linear; secund; 0.5–7 cm long; 0.4–1.2 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed; simple; 0–1 cm long; bearing 1–4 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches stiff; straight; angular.

Racemes single; unilateral. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; 0.2–0.5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas; smooth.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2–3.5 mm long; 0.9–1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 2–3.5 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins ribbed. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets imbricate to tip. Fertile lemma elliptic; elliptic in profile; 2.5–3.8 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; keeled above; 5 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 0.9 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 0.5–1 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum elliptic.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, and southeastern. Africa: north and Macaronesia. Asia-temperate: western Asia. Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Poeae. CEH.

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