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.

Deschampsia antarctica

HABIT Perennial; cushion forming. Culms 10–30 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 4–8 mm long; acuminate. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 2.5–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; not deciduous as a whole, or deciduous as a whole; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf, or enclosed.

Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or pyramidal; 5–20 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels puberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 5–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 1–1.3 mm long; pilose. Floret callus pilose. Floret callus hairs 0.33 length of lemma.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture; shiny. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliolate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 2–2.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 2.5–3 mm long; membranous; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex dentate; 4 -fid; with outer lobes longer; with lobes 0.5 mm long; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.25–0.33 way up back of lemma; straight, or geniculate; 3.5–5.5 mm long overall; clearly exserted from spikelet; without a column, or with a straight or slightly twisted column. Rhachilla extension pilose.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 0.4–0.5 mm long; retained within floret. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 1–1.2 mm long; dark brown. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America. Antarctic: Subantarctic islands and Antarctic continent.

NOTES Aveneae. Fl Pat 1995.

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