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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Muhlenbergia brevis

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; slender; 3–20 cm long. Culm-internodes antrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches ample; arising from lower culm. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; keeled; striately veined. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–3 mm long; lacerate. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 0.5–4 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib widened. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides; glabrous, or puberulous; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle contracted; linear; dense; 1–12 cm long; 0.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches bearing 2–3 fertile spikelets on each lower branch; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle axis bearing deciduous branches.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 4–5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate; 1–2 mm long; 0.5–0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 2 -veined. Lower glume surface scabrous. Lower glume apex dentate; 2 -fid; acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 1.5–4 mm long; 0.3–0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate to setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface scabrous; pubescent; hairy below; hairy between veins. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn flexuous; 10–20 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.5–0.8 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 2–2.5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION North America: northwest USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, and Mexico.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Gould.

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