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Descriptions

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

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

Piptatherum angustifolium

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms geniculately ascending; 30–60 cm long; 4 -noded. Leaf-sheaths smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–6 mm long; 2–4 mm long on basal shoots; acute. Leaf-blades involute; 10–20 cm long; 1–2.5 mm wide; grey-green. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; puberulous; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 10–17 cm long; 3–10 cm wide. Primary panicle branches spreading, or reflexed; 2 -nate; 5–8 cm long; with lower 0.5 length of panicle. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4–5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus curved; glabrous; obtuse; disarticulating transversely; with elliptic scar.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 4–5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; widest at 0.5–0.55 of its length from base; dorsally compressed; 2.5–3 mm long; 1.2–1.5 mm wide; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma surface with basal hair tufts near margin; bearing 2 hair tufts in all. Lemma margins involute; exposing palea. Lemma apex obtuse; without ornament, or pubescent; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–2.5 mm long overall; deciduous. Palea coriaceous; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 0.7–0.9 mm long. Anthers 3; 1.5–1.7 mm long; anther tip smooth.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 1.5–2.1 mm long. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.8–0.9 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia and western Asia.

NOTES Stipeae. Freitag 1995.

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