New! - Search other data sources for Nassella leptothera

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.

Nassella leptothera

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 35–50 cm long; 1–1.25 mm diam.; 2–4 -noded. Culm-internodes striate; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes flush with internodes; brown; glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; erose. Leaf-blades convolute; 2.5–15 cm long; 1.25–2.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 6–8 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially; puberulous; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; subtended by an inflated leaf-sheath; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle open; elliptic; secund; 15–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending, or drooping. Panicle axis smooth. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1–10 mm long; scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 8–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; 0.75–0.9 mm long; pubescent; acute.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 8–9 mm long; 1.05 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 7.5–8.5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 3(–5) -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; subterete; 4.75–5.25 mm long; membranous; pallid; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex with an annular corona; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn bigeniculate; 23–36 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous. Middle segment of lemma awn 6–9 mm long. Column of lemma awn 6–9 mm long; pubescent. Palea 1.5 mm long; 0 -veined; without keels.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Stipeae. Spegazzini 1997.

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