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.

Poa cita

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect, or rambling; 30–100 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 20–60 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide; coriaceous. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; smooth; puberulous; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex hardened.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth, or scaberulous above.

Panicle open; ovate; 10–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1 mm long; scaberulous. Floret callus woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.5–5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate. Upper glume elliptic; 3.5–5 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1–1.1 length of spikelet; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Upper glume margins scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; elliptic in profile; 3–5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous; ciliate; hairy below. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough between veins; pubescent; hairy on veins. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy below. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 3–4 mm long. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Palea surface scabrous.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.5 mm long; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3; 2–3 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 1 mm long. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: New Zealand.

NOTES Poeae. Edgar 1995.

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