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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.
Helictotrichon filifolium
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths red; persistent and investing base of culm. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 25–120 cm long. Culm-internodes retrorsely scabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 20–40 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade venation with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; pungent.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; lanceolate; 14–25 cm long. Primary panicle branches 2–4 -nate. Panicle axis scabrous. Panicle branches straight, or flexuous; scabrous; glabrous in axils, or pubescent in axils.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 14–18 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes pilose; with 5–6 mm long hairs. Floret callus pilose; with elliptic scar.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 13–14 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume elliptic; 15–18 mm long; 1.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 12–14 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; setaceously attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.4–0.5 way up back of lemma; geniculate; 20–25 mm long overall; with twisted column. Palea 10–11 mm long. Palea keels pubescent. Apical sterile florets rudimentary.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; 3.5–5 mm long. Anthers 3; 6–7 mm long. Ovary pubescent all over.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy all over. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern. Africa: north.
NOTES Aveneae. Fl Afr N 1994.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
