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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.
Muhlenbergia peruviana
HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms 3–27 cm long; 0.1–0.3 mm diam. Culm-internodes 0.1–2.5 cm long. Lateral branches ample; arising from lower culm. Leaf-sheaths 0.5–8 cm long; longer than adjacent culm internode; striately veined; smooth, or scaberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5–3 mm long; acute. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 1–5 cm long; 0.6–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially, or on both sides; glabrous, or pubescent; hairy adaxially.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf.
Panicle open, or contracted; linear, or lanceolate; 2–8 cm long; 0.3–3.4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending; 1 -nate; 1.5 cm long.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.4–5 mm long; smooth, or scaberulous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 1.4–4.2 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.8–2.8 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.9–3 mm long; 0.6–0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Upper glume apex dentate; 2–3 -fid; truncate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 1.4–4.2 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scabrous; rough above; pubescent; hairy below. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; flexuous; 0–22 mm long overall. Palea 1.3–3.8 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy on back; hairy below.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.5–1 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 1–1.6 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION North America: southwest USA and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, western South America, and southern South America.
NOTES Eragrostideae. Peterson 1994.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
