New! - Search other data sources for Sesleria caerulea

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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.

Sesleria caerulea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect; 10–45 cm long; wiry. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 5–20 cm long; 2–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute; hooded.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle tipped by a glumaceous appendage (treated as sterile spikelets).

Panicle capitate; oblong, or ovate; 1–3 cm long; 0.5–1 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with evident branchlets on axis, or with lateral stumps on axis.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong.

STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets represented by a single scale; 2 in number; ovate; 1.5–3 mm long. Basal sterile spikelet glumes membranous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4.5–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 3–6 mm long; 0.9–1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 3–6 mm long; 0.8–1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; 4–5 mm long; membranous; without keel; rounded except near apex; 3–5 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex dentate; 3–5 -fid; awned; 1 -awned (with mucronate lobes). Principal lemma awn 0.5–1 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels pubescent. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 2–2.5 mm long. Stigmas 2; terminally exserted; pubescent. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; 2 mm long; hairy at apex. Hilum elliptic.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southeastern, and eastern.

NOTES Poeae. CEH.

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