Poa fordeana

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths herbaceous; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms geniculately ascending; 20–100 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes elliptical in section; antrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; with 0.5 of their length closed; longer than adjacent culm internode; keeled; antrorsely scabrous; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–5 mm long; truncate, or obtuse. Leaf-blades 5–30 cm long; 1.5–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation distinct. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth.

Panicle open; elliptic, or pyramidal; 6–15 cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches 2 -nate; branching divaricately; 5–10 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous; with prominent pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 0.5–8 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or lanceolate; laterally compressed; compressed strongly; 5–11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.75–1 mm long; smooth; sparsely hairy; hairy at tip. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 3–4 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; herbaceous; much thinner on margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; 3–4 mm long; 0.66–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; with membranous margins; 1-keeled; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; elliptic in profile; 3.5–5 mm long; membranous; much thinner above; much thinner on margins; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy below; hairy on back. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy below. Lemma apex emarginate, or obtuse. Palea 0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels scabrous; adorned above. Palea surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy on back; hairy below. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1.5–2.2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Poeae. Vickery.

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