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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 flaccidum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 15–70 cm long; 3–4 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous, or pubescent; with reflexed hairs. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–7 mm long; 2–4 mm long on basal shoots; acute. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 4–25 cm long; 1.3–3 mm wide; grey-green. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; pilose; densely hairy; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or elliptic; 4–22 cm long; 1–10 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending; 1–2 -nate; with lower 0.33–0.5 length of panicle. Panicle branches smooth, or scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6–10 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; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 6–10 mm long; membranous; without keels; 5–6 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma linear, or lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 3.8–6.5 mm long; 0.8–1.2 mm wide; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma surface pilose; hairy above. Lemma margins involute; exposing palea. Lemma hairs tawny; 0.3–0.5 mm long. Lemma apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.5–4.5 mm long overall; deciduous. Palea coriaceous; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 0.8–1 mm long. Anthers 3; 2.5–3.5 mm long; yellow, or purple; anther tip smooth, or penicillate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 3–3.2 mm long. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.9 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Stipeae. Freitag 1995.

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