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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.
Melica hyalina
HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect; robust; 50–100 cm long. Culm-internodes retrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; retrorsely scabrous; glabrous on surface, or pilose. Leaf-sheath auricles erect and connate forming a tooth opposite blade. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 4.5–9 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 4–20 cm long; 3–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially; pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; linear; 6–25 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; simple. Panicle axis dominant; scabrous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; curved; ciliate; hairy above.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets obovate; dorsally compressed; 7–10 mm long; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes smooth. Floret callus pubescent.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; with lower wider than upper; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume flabellate; 7–10 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner above; much thinner on margins; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume primary vein falling short of apex. Lower glume apex erose; truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–9 mm long; 1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; much thinner above; with hyaline margins; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 5–7 mm long; 2–2.4 mm wide; chartaceous; much thinner above; much thinner on margins; without keel. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy in the middle. Lemma hairs 1 mm long. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 4.5–5.5 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea surface smooth. Apical sterile florets barren; in a clump; cuneate. Apical sterile lemmas obtuse.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; united; oblong; 0.2–0.3 mm long; fleshy; truncate. Anthers 3; 0.6–1.2 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 2.5–2.8 mm long; dark brown. Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil and southern South America.
NOTES Meliceae. Torres 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
