| Note - this takes you off
of our website |
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 parodiana
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes short. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–50 cm long. Culm-internodes retrorsely scabrous; distally glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 1 of their length closed; pubescent; with reflexed hairs. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–5 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 2–12 cm long; 2–3.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy on both sides. Leaf-blade margins ciliate. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.
Panicle open; linear, or oblong; 10–14 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; simple. Panicle axis dominant; smooth. Panicle branches smooth.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; curved; pubescent; hairy above.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 7–8.5 mm long; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes scaberulous. Floret callus pubescent.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; with lower wider than upper; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume obovate; 7–8.5 mm long; 1.1 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume primary vein falling short of apex. Lower glume apex obtuse; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 4–6 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; much thinner above; with hyaline margins; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 5.5–6.5 mm long; chartaceous; much thinner above; much thinner on margins; without keel. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy in the middle. Lemma hairs 0.8–1 mm long. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 4.5–5 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Palea surface smooth. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets barren; in a clump; cuneate; 1.5–2 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas truncate.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; united; oblong; 0.2 mm long; fleshy; truncate. Anthers 3; 0.6–1.2 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 3 mm long; dark brown. Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear.
DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.
NOTES Meliceae. Torres 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
