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.

Pariana trichosticha

HABIT Perennial. Culms erect; 50–60 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous, or pubescent. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5–0.7 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 13–25 cm long; 40–60 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially (on midrib). Leaf-blade apex acute.

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; 6 cm long; 7–9 mm wide. 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; 3–4 mm long; pubescent; hairy at base; tip rectangular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 7 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 7 mm long; 1.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma ovate; 5 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; 4.5–5 mm long; glabrous, or hairy. Male spikelet glumes 2; triangular; 1.5 mm long. Male spikelet lemma 4.5–5 mm long; 3 -veined; without cross-veins.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana and western South America.

NOTES Parianeae. Tutin 1995.

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