Poa pseudobulbosa

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths scarious; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect; 20–45 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–0.75 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades conduplicate, or convolute; 1–2.5 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; linear; 4–7 cm long; 1 cm wide; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches ascending; bearing 1–2 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–3 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4.5–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5–3.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3–4 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; much thinner above; with hyaline margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; elliptic in profile; 4.5–5 mm long; membranous; much thinner above; much thinner on margins; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Palea keels scabrous; adorned above.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia.

NOTES Poeae. Bor 1995.

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