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.

Secale sylvestre

HABIT Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 15–30 cm long. Leaf-sheaths puberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 5–10 cm long; 1.5–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle pubescent above.

Racemes 1; single; bilateral; 2–3.5 cm long; 8–10 mm wide. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; ciliate on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes oblong; 3–3.5 mm long; falling with spikelet above.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 12–14 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear; 11–12 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 25–50 mm long. Upper glume linear; 11–12 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; keeled all along; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliate. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 25–50 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 10–12 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein pectinately ciliate. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 35–70 mm long overall; limb scabrous. Palea 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southeastern, and eastern. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and China.

NOTES Triticeae. Fl Iran 1993.

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