Poa durifolia

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths not bulbous, or thickened and forming a bulb. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms 20–40 cm long. Leaf-sheaths 5–16 cm long; smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 9–20 mm long; lacerate; acute. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate; 8–30 cm long; 1.5–2.5 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade apex pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Dioecious. Inflorescence a panicle; aerial, or shorter than basal leaves.

Panicle contracted; elliptic; 7–12 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 7–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus glabrous, or woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic; 4.3–5.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 4.5–6 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma ovate; 5–6.5 mm long; 0.9–1.5 mm wide; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous; hairy between veins. Lemma apex acute. Palea 3.5–4.7 mm long. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.6–0.85 mm long; membranous. Anthers 3; 2.5–3 mm long. Staminodes present.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

MALE Male inflorescence similar to female. Male spikelets resembling female; 3–7 flowered; glabrous. Male spikelet glumes 2; lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; 1–3 -veined. Male spikelet lemma 4–5.2 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Poeae. Giussani et al 2005.

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