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.

Piptatherum rechingeri

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms geniculately ascending; 8–25 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths scaberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–5 mm long; lacerate; acute. Leaf-blades involute; 3–10 cm long; 1–1.2 mm wide; grey-green. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially; pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or ovate; 3–5 cm long; 1.5–3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 1–3 -nate; with lower 0.33–0.5 length of panicle. Panicle branches smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 6–8 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; 5–6 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 6–8 mm long; membranous; without keels; 5–6 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma linear, or lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5.5–6 mm long; 0.8–1 mm wide; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma surface villous. Lemma margins involute; exposing palea. Lemma hairs 1–2 mm long. Lemma apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3.5 mm long overall; persistent. Palea coriaceous; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1.1–1.3 mm long. Anthers 3; 3.5 mm long; yellow; anther tip penicillate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 4 mm long. Embryo 0.25 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.