Stipa gegarkunii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths, or fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 30–50 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaves basal and cauline. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or puberulous; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–5 mm long; 0.4–0.6 mm long on basal shoots. Leaf-blades straight; filiform; terete; 15–30 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide; light green. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 50–70 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; acute.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of upper glume; membranous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 20–70 mm long; membranous; without keels. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma linear to lanceolate; subterete; 16–19 mm long; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma surface pilose. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex surmounted by a ring of hairs; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn geniculate, or bigeniculate; 200–250 mm long overall; with twisted column; limb plumose; with 5 mm long hairs. Middle segment of lemma awn 10–15 mm long; hirtellous. Column of lemma awn 35–50 mm long. Palea 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Caucasus.

NOTES Stipeae. Smirnov 1996.

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