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Descriptions

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

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

Secale montanum

HABIT Perennial. Butt sheaths glabrous, or pilose (sparsely). Culms erect, or decumbent; (35–)60–100 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 10–20 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle pilose above.

Racemes 1; single; bilateral; 4–10 cm long. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes oblong; 3 mm long; falling with spikelet above.

Spikelets ascending; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 8–12 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures; readily shedding fertile florets.

GLUMES Glumes similar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 8–10 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Lower glume awn 1–2.5 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–12 mm long; 0.7–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1–2.5 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 8–14 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein pectinately ciliate. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 20–25 mm long overall; limb scabrous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; linear; 5–6 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid. Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Caucasus and western Asia. Asia-tropical: India. North America: northwest USA.

NOTES Triticeae. Fl Iraq.

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