New! - Search other data sources for Stipa vaginata

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 vaginata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths dark brown; pilose. Culms 50–70 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 10–15 mm long. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades flexuous; persistent, or deciduous at the ligule; filiform; 9–40 cm long; 0.7–1 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; nodding; 10–20 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scabrous; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 17–25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus elongated; curved; 1.5–2 mm long; pubescent; pungent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Lower glume apex attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 17–25 mm long; 2–2.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Upper glume apex attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; subterete; 7–11 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy all along, or below. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; with lobes 1.5–2.5 mm long; pubescent; surmounted by a ring of hairs; with this appendage 2–4 mm long; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 20–46 mm long overall; with 19–30 mm long limb; with twisted column; deciduous; limb glabrous. Column of lemma awn 11–16 mm long; plumose; with 5–10 mm long hairs. Palea 0.66 mm long; 0.8 length of lemma; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3; 4 mm long; anther tip smooth. Stigmas 2. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 6 mm long; dark brown. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America and southern South America.

NOTES Stipeae. Torres 1994.

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