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.

Astrebla elymoides

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths glabrous. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 80–120 cm long; 4–5 -noded. Leaf-sheaths keeled. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 12–35 cm long; 3–5 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface ribbed. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; straight, or arcuate; unilateral; 12–35 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Rhachis flattened; 1–1.5 mm wide. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; lax; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or pedicelled. Pedicels oblong.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; subterete; 10–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes 2–4 mm long. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear, or lanceolate; 5–12 mm long; 0.5–0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 11–17 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 7–11 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 10–15 mm long; coriaceous; much thinner above; without keel; 3 -veined (in the body). Lemma lateral veins augmented by subsidiaries in lobes. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy at base. Lemma apex lobed; 3 -fid; with simple equal lobes; with linear lobes; incised 0.25–0.8 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 6–12 mm long overall. Palea 8 mm long. Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy; truncate. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 4–6 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Cynodonteae. Gardner.

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