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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Taeniatherum caput-medusae

HABIT Annual. Culms erect, or decumbent; 5–50 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades convolute; 3–12 cm long; 2–5 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; oblong; bilateral; 3–7 cm long. Rhachis glabrous on surface; glabrous on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis.

Spikelets ascending; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 2 in the cluster.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; dorsally compressed; 8–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus disarticulating obliquely.

GLUMES Glumes collateral; persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; parallel to lemmas, or recurved at apex. Lower glume subulate; 17–27 mm long; 1 length of upper glume. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume subulate; 17–27 mm long. Upper glume surface scabrous.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8–12 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn straight, or curved; 70–120 mm long overall; limb scabrous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; linear.

FLOWER Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear; dorsally compressed; sulcate on hilar side; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Embryo 0.1 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia. North America: northwest USA and southwest USA.

NOTES Triticeae. Fl Iraq.

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