Leymus cinereus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Culms 100–200 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–7 mm long. Leaf-blades flat; 20–50 cm long; 10–20 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; glabrous, or pubescent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle pubescent above.

Racemes 1; single; erect; bilateral; 12–20 cm long; simple, or secondarily branched. Rhachis flattened. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis.

Spikelets clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets pedicelled, or sessile; 3–6 in the cluster.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 15–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes collateral; persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet. Lower glume subulate; 10–20 mm long; 1 length of upper glume. Upper glume subulate; 10–20 mm long; 1–1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 10–15 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2–7 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 3–6 mm long. Stigmas 2. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION North America: western Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, and southwest USA.

NOTES Triticeae. WDC.

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