Poa hackelii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 25–50 cm long. Culm-internodes terete; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; acute. Leaf-blades 15–30 cm long; 1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; oblong; interrupted; 5–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 4–5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong, or ovate; 2–2.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume oblong, or ovate; 2.5–3 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; elliptic in profile; 3 mm long; membranous; much thinner above; much thinner on margins; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliolate; hairy below. Lemma lateral veins stopping well short of apex. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy on veins. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy below. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels scaberulous; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Syria 1997.

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