Poa aitchisonii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths herbaceous. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 25–40 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes terete; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long; lacerate; obtuse. Leaf-blades 4–10 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or ovate; 7–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 2 -nate. Panicle branches smooth, or scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or ovate; laterally compressed; 4.5–5.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes smooth. Floret callus woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear, or lanceolate; 2.5–3 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 3–3.5 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; elliptic in profile; 3–3.75 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein eciliate, or ciliolate. Lemma margins eciliate, or ciliolate. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels scabrous; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1.8–2.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Pak.

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