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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.
Aegilops ventricosa
HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 30–65 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 8–17 cm long; 1.5–4.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; not deciduous as a whole, or deciduous as a whole.
Racemes 1; single; linear, or moniliform; bilateral; 5 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 4–6 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis tough, or fragile at the nodes. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes oblong; when fragile falling with spikelet alongside.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
STERILE SPIKELETS Basal sterile spikelets rudimentary; 1–2 in number.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 5–14 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; gibbous; 4.2–11 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins thickened; ribbed. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough on veins. Lower glume apex dentate; 3 -fid; mucronate; 3 -awned (mucros). Lower glume awn 17–95 mm long. Upper glume ovate; gibbous; 4.2–11 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins thickened; ribbed; parallel at apex. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough on veins. Upper glume apex dentate; 3 -fid; awned; 3 -awned. Upper glume awn 17–95 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 4–11.3 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex dentate; 3 -fid; awned; (2–)3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 50–95 mm long overall. Palea 6–11.5 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous; ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3; 3.2–4.7 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; 4.5–8 mm long; hairy at apex. Disseminule comprising a rhachis internode, or inflorescence.
DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: western Asia.
NOTES Triticeae. Gr Extremad 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
