Poa wisselii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Basal innovations extravaginal and intravaginal. Culms erect; 10–20 cm long. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.4–0.75 mm long; erose. Leaf-blades erect, or ascending; flat, or conduplicate; 2.5–9.5 cm long; 1.7–2.6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute; hooded.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; 2–3.5 cm long; 0.4–1.6 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending; 1–4 -nate; 1.3–2 cm long; bearing 3–6 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 2.3–3.25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus glabrous, or sparsely hairy, or woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1.25–1.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 1.65–1.85 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 2.6–2.85 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; muticous, or mucronate. Palea keels smooth, or scaberulous; adorned above. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Rhachilla extension 1.1–1.6 mm long.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 0.65–0.8 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid; 1–1.5 mm long. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Papuasia.

NOTES Poeae. Alp Fl N Guin 1994.

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