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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Poa alopecurus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 50–100 cm long; 5 mm diam. Leaf-sheaths keeled; smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 4–11 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades erect; 2–15 cm long; 3–8 mm wide; glaucous.

INFLORESCENCE Dioecious. Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle tipped by a glumaceous appendage.

Panicle contracted; linear, or oblong; 10–24 cm long; 1.5–3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed; 1–8 cm long; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–14 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 6.5–11.5 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1–2 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–12.5 mm long; 0.8–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; ovate in profile; 8–12 mm long; membranous; much thinner on margins; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy on veins. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea 0.6–0.7 length of lemma. Palea keels woolly; adorned in the middle. Palea surface scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 3–3.5 mm long. Hilum punctiform.

MALE Male inflorescence similar to female; a panicle. Male spikelets resembling female (but callus glabrous).

CLEISTOGENES AND VIVIPARY Vegetative proliferation occurs.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America. Antarctic: Subantarctic islands.

NOTES Poeae. WDC.

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