GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

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

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

Eremopyrum distans

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or decumbent; 10–25 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 6–8 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous, or puberulous; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle pilose above.

Racemes 1; single; oblong; bilateral; 2.5–5 cm long; 15–25 mm wide. Rhachis fragile at the nodes. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded. Rhachis internodes oblong; falling with spikelet above.

Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 15–25 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures; readily shedding fertile florets.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 7–10 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume surface villous. Lower glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 6–7 mm long. Upper glume linear; 7–10 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume surface villous. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 6–7 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 7–10 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; keeled above; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins convergent above. Lemma surface villous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 5–7 mm long overall. Palea keels scabrous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; awns 0.5–1.5 mm long. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; ciliate. Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; sulcate on hilar side; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: eastern. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, and China. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Triticeae. Fl Iraq.

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