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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Poa tenera

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose. Cataphylls evident. Stolons present. Butt sheaths herbaceous. Basal innovations extravaginal. Culms erect, or rambling; weak; 10–30 cm long. Culm-internodes terete; smooth, or scaberulous; distally glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths loose; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1.5 mm long; glabrous on abaxial surface, or scaberulous on abaxial surface; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform, or linear; flat, or conduplicate, or convolute; 5–20 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth.

Panicle open; elliptic; 2–12 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches spreading; 2–6 -nate. Panicle branches capillary; scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 3–4 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes smooth. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 1–1.5 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume oblong; 1–1.5 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth, or scaberulous. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; oblong in profile; 2–3 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy below. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels scabrous; eciliate, or ciliate; adorned below (ciliate). Palea surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy on back. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1–1.5 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.