Poa chonotica

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect; robust; 50–200 cm long. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; smooth; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 2.5–3 mm long; glabrous on abaxial surface, or pubescent on abaxial surface; truncate. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 4–40 cm long; 7–14 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides. Leaf-blade apex acute; pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Gynodioecious ("male", in this context, indicating the bisexual state). Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear, or elliptic; 5–30 cm long. Primary panicle branches 7–14 cm long. Panicle branches smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 6–9.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous, or sparsely hairy. Floret callus woolly. Floret callus hairs 0.25–0.5 length of lemma.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 4.5–7 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 6–8 mm long; 1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma ovate; elliptic in profile; 5–7.5 mm long; membranous; mid-green, or purple and light brown; bordered with last colour; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein eciliate, or ciliate; hairy below. Lemma lateral veins distinct. Lemma surface scabrous; rough between veins; pubescent; hairy on veins. Lemma margins eciliate, or ciliate; hairy below. Lemma apex obtuse; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned all along. Palea surface scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 3–4 mm long. Staminodes present; 1.7–2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 3 mm long; light brown. Hilum punctiform.

MALE Male inflorescence similar to female. Male spikelets resembling female.

CLEISTOGENES AND VIVIPARY Vegetative proliferation occurs.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Pat 1995.

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