GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

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

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

Puccinellia thomsonii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–50 cm long. Leaf-sheaths open for most of their length. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate, or convolute; 6–10 cm long; 1–3.5 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open, or contracted; linear, or oblong; 7–19 cm long; 0.5–3 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; 1–9 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 1.5–2.5 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 2–3.2 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 3.5–4.5 mm long; membranous; much thinner above; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein extending to apex. Lemma lateral veins obscure; stopping well short of apex. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 2–3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Pak 1993.

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