Molinia caerulea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 15–120 cm long; swollen at the base; forming an elongated corm. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; 10–45 cm long; 3–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; linear, or oblong; 5–40 cm long; 1–10 cm wide.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; 4–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1–2 mm long; eventually visible between lemmas; scaberulous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate, or ovate; 1.5–3 mm long; 0.6–1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 2.5–4 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; lanceolate in profile, or oblong in profile; 4–6 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3–5 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 1.5–3 mm long. Stigmas 2; purple.

FRUIT Caryopsis with tardily free pericarp; obovoid. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north and northeast tropical. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, and western Asia. North America: eastern Canada and northeast USA.

NOTES Arundineae. CEH.

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