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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 dimorphantha

HABIT Annual; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms erect; 8–25 cm long. Culm-nodes brown. Leaf-sheaths keeled; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades 5–10 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins smooth. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or oblong; 4–10 cm long; 0.5–4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; 2–4 -nate. Panicle branches smooth.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels tip rectangular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–4 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 2.2–3.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes smooth. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1–1.4 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume obovate; 1.4–1.6 mm long; 0.5–0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with scarious margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex emarginate, or obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile florets bisexual (below), or female (uppermost); with the uppermost dissimilar (ovate, 1–1.5mm). Fertile lemma lanceolate; elliptic in profile; 2.2–3 mm long; membranous; light green and purple; suffused with last colour; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy on back. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea keels woolly; adorned above, or in the middle.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1.8–2 mm long. Filaments 4–6 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 0.9–1 mm long. Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: north.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Afr N 1994.

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