Pariana gracilis

HABIT Perennial. Culms geniculately ascending; slender; 30–40 cm long. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–2.5 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 10–15 cm long; 20–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Monoecious; with male and female spikelets in the same inflorescence. Synflorescence on a separate leafless culm. Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; erect; multilateral; 8 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Rhachis internodes linear.

Sexes mixed (in a cluster at each node). Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Male spikelets pedicelled; 5 in a cluster. Involucre composed of imperfect spikelets; with pedicels forming a cup; oblong. Pedicels fused to each other; united along margins; oblong; flattened; 2.5–3 mm long; puberulous; tip rectangular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 5 mm long; 1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma ovate; 4 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea coriaceous; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Stigmas 2.

MALE Male spikelets distinct from female; 1 flowered; deciduous with the fertile; ovate; 4–4.5 mm long. Male spikelet glumes 2; lanceolate; 2–3 mm long. Male spikelet lemma 4–4.5 mm long; without cross-veins, or with cross-veins.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America and Brazil.

NOTES Parianeae. Tutin 1995.

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