New! - Search other data sources for Stipa pennata

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.

Stipa pennata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths pubescent. Culms erect; 25–40 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth; distally glabrous, or pubescent. Leaves basal and cauline. Leaf-sheaths ribbed. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 4 mm long; membranous; obtuse. Leaf-blades erect to ascending; filiform; conduplicate; 15–30 cm long; 1 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex hardened.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle contracted; elliptic; 10 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches appressed.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 30–60 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; with lower narrower than upper; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 30–60 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; yellow; 1-keeled (very slightly); keeled below; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume apex setaceously attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 30–60 mm long; 1.7–2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; yellow; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma linear; subterete; 15–20 mm long; coriaceous; 3(–5) -veined. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea; ciliate. Lemma apex awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn bigeniculate; 150–300 mm long overall; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma; limb plumose. Column of lemma awn glabrous. Palea linear; tightly convolute around flower; 1 length of lemma; coriaceous; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; lanceolate; membranous; acute. Anther tip smooth.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, China, and Mongolia.

NOTES Stipeae. TB.

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