Poa fendleriana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths herbaceous. Culms erect; 25–60 cm long. Culm-internodes terete. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths with 0.33 of their length closed; striately veined; antrorsely scabrous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–3 mm long; scaberulous on abaxial surface; truncate, or obtuse. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 1–20 cm long; 0.8–2 mm wide; 0.1–1 cm long at summit of culm; stiff; mid-green. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 15–60 fertile spikelets. Peduncle scaberulous above.

Panicle contracted; lanceolate; (3–)4–8(–12) cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; naked below, or bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 3–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.9–1.3 mm long; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous, or sparsely hairy. Floret callus glabrous, or pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; shiny. Lower glume oblong; 0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.5–0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with scarious margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma oblong; elliptic in profile; 3–6 mm long; membranous; much thinner on margins; mid-green; shiny; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate; hairy below. Lemma lateral veins with distinct primaries but obscure intermediates. Lemma surface smooth, or papillose; pubescent; hairy on back. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy below. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels eciliate, or ciliate; adorned above. Palea surface scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1.5–3 mm long. Staminodes absent, or present; 0–0.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION North America: northwest USA, north-central USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, and Mexico.

NOTES Poeae. Soreng 1992.

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