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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 platyanthum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 10–60 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–6 mm long; 1.5–3.5 mm long on basal shoots; entire, or lacerate; obtuse. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 6–15 cm long; 1–4 mm wide; grey-green. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; puberulous; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; lanceolate; 3–10 cm long; 1–2 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 1–2 -nate; with lower 0.33–0.5 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; 7–11 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; 7–11 mm long; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or ovate; widest at 0.5 of its length from base; dorsally compressed; 4–6 mm long; 1.3–2 mm wide; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy all along. Lemma margins involute; exposing palea. Lemma hairs tawny. Lemma apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2.5–4 mm long overall; deciduous. Palea coriaceous; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1 mm long. Anthers 3; 2–3 mm long; yellow, or purple; anther tip penicillate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 3.5–4 mm long. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.9 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia.

NOTES Stipeae. Freitag 1995.

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