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Descriptions

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

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

Cleistogenes polyphylla

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 15–35 cm long; 1 mm diam. Culm-internodes smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades erect; flat, or involute; 2–6.5 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; without bracts, or bracteate at branch bases.

Racemes borne along a central axis; unilateral; 2–4 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets. Central inflorescence axis 4.5–6.5 cm long. Rhachis scabrous on margins. Spikelet packing lax.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 8–13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate, or oblong; 1.5–2(–4) mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Lower glume apex truncate, or acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or oblong; 3–4(–5) mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1–5 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy at base. Lemma margins pubescent. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 0.5–1.5 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

CLEISTOGENES AND VIVIPARY Cleistogenes present; in upper sheaths.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Keng 1996.

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