Poa alta

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes short. Culms erect; 100 cm long. Culm-internodes antrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths antrorsely scabrous; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 3–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 12 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 2 -nate; 5 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4–6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; elliptic in profile; 4 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliolate; hairy below. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy on veins. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy below. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned in the middle. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Soviet far east and China.

NOTES Poeae. Hitchcock 1995.

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