Secale cereale

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms 60–150 cm long; 6–7 -noded. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or hirsute. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 10–20 cm long; 6–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle pubescent above.

Racemes 1; single; bilateral; 5–15 cm long. Rhachis tough; pubescent on surface; ciliate on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes oblong; 2–3 mm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 12–15 mm long; persistent on plant.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 10–12 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface puberulous. Lower glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Lower glume awn 1–3 mm long. Upper glume linear; 10–12 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Upper glume awn 1–3 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 14–15(–18) mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein pectinately ciliate. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 20–50 mm long overall; limb scabrous. Palea 0.6–0.7 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; ciliate. Anthers 3; 7 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; obovoid; sulcate on hilar side; 8–10 mm long. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, and east tropical. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet far east, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, Mongolia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India and Malesia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. North America: Subarctic, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, and Mexico. South America: western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Triticeae. Fl Iraq.

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