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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.
Piresia palmula
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 6.6–36 cm long; 0.6–2 mm diam.; wiry. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaves cauline; (4–)5(–8) per branch. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2–0.3 mm long. Leaf-blade base symmetrical, or asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 4–12 cm long; 6–15 mm wide; chartaceous; dark green. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acute.
INFLORESCENCE Monoecious; with male and female spikelets in the same inflorescence. Synflorescence on the same culm as leaves (rarely), or on a separate leafless culm. Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; 5–7 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 4–5 fertile spikelets on each.
Sexes mixed. Spikelets solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Male spikelets pedicelled; 1 in a cluster. Pedicels cuneate; pubescent.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate, or ovate; dorsally compressed; 5–7.9 mm long; 2.3–3.1 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes deciduous; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 6.3–7.9 mm long; 1.1 length of upper glume; herbaceous; without keels; 8 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 1–6 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 6–7 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma lanceolate, or ovate; 4.8–7.6 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface pubescent.
FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Staminodes present. Stigmas 1.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 5.3–8.3 mm long; light brown. Hilum linear; 0.75 length of caryopsis.
MALE Male spikelets distinct from female; 1 flowered; separately deciduous; lanceolate; 2.9–3.4 mm long. Male spikelet glumes absent. Male spikelet lemma muticous.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.
NOTES Olyreae. Carvalho & Oliveira 2012.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
