Poa leptalea

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Basal innovations extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms erect; weak; 13–25 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.4–3.5 mm long; acute. Leaf-blades erect, or ascending; 8.7–12.5 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; linear; nodding; 3.5–4.5 cm long; 0.7–1.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed; 2 -nate; 1.2–1.7 cm long; bearing 4–7 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1(–2) fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 3.4–3.8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.7 mm long; smooth, or scaberulous. Floret callus woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet, or reaching apex of florets, or exceeding apex of florets. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5–2.8 mm long; 0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 2.9–3.5 mm long; 0.9–1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 3.1–3.25 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels smooth. Rhachilla extension 0.4–1 mm long.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Papuasia.

NOTES Poeae. Veldkamp 1995.

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