Stipa pulcherrima

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths herbaceous, or scarious; glabrous. Culms erect; (30–)40–100 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth, or scaberulous; distally glabrous. Leaves basal and cauline; differentiated into sheath and blade. Leaf-sheaths wider than blade at the collar; striately veined; scaberulous; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 5–7(–9) mm long (flowering culms); membranous; glabrous on abaxial surface, or pubescent on abaxial surface; obtuse. Leaf-blades erect to ascending; filiform; conduplicate; 20–40 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex hardened.

INFLORESCENCE Bisexual. Synflorescence simple. Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle contracted; elliptic; 10–15 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches straight; smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels glabrous, or ciliate.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets laterally compressed; compressed slightly; (35–)45–70 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; straight to curved; 3–4 mm long; bearded; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes similar; with lower narrower than upper; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 60–80 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled (very slightly); keeled below; 3–5(–7) -veined. Lower glume lateral veins unequally thickened. Lower glume margins flat. Lower glume apex setaceously attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; (35–)40–70 mm long; 1.7–2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3–7 -veined. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma linear; subterete; (18–)20–23(–25) mm long; coriaceous; 3(–5) -veined. Lemma surface pilose; hairy on back and in lines. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex rostrate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn bigeniculate; 200–500 mm long overall; with 120–300 mm long limb; with twisted column; deciduous; abscissing from top of lemma; limb plumose; with 7 mm long hairs. Palea linear; tightly convolute around flower; 1 length of lemma; coriaceous; 2 -veined; without keels. Palea surface smooth. Palea apex emarginate.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; lanceolate; 2.5 mm long; membranous; acute. Anther tip smooth. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform.

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

NOTES Stipeae. TB.

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