Limnopoa meeboldii

HABIT Annual; mat forming. Culms decumbent; 5–16 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades spreading, or reflexed; 4–13 cm long; 1.5 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; flexuous; unilateral; 1–2.3 cm long. Rhachis flattened; glabrous on margins. Spikelet packing abaxial.

Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear; flattened; 2.5–3.5 mm long; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; obtuse; 3.8–4.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated below proximal fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of upper glume; 0.75 length of spikelet; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume obovate; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea; separately deciduous. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 2 length of fertile lemma; 1 length of spikelet; 5–7 -veined; glabrous; obtuse. Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma elliptic; 2–2.3 mm long; cartilaginous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea cartilaginous. Palea surface pubescent.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1.8–2.6 mm long. Stigmas terminally exserted.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; dorsally compressed; plano-convex; 1.5–1.6 mm long. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Isachneae. CEH.

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