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 looseriana

HABIT Annual. Culms 15–30 cm long; 2–3 -noded. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–6 mm long; acuminate. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 5–10 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface smooth; glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; equilateral, or nodding; 4–8 cm long; 1–2 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; 2–3 -nate; 1–4 cm long; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches glabrous, or puberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels scabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 6–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 2 mm long; pilose; with 1.5 mm long hairs. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture; shiny. Lower glume lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; 1.2–1.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 5 mm long; membranous; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; with simple equal lobes, or with lateral lobes bidentate; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.33–0.5 way up back of lemma; geniculate; 7–8 mm long overall; with twisted column. Lateral lemma awns arising on apex of lobes; 0.6–1 mm long. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels puberulous. Palea apex dentate; 3 -fid. Rhachilla extension 1.5 mm long.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 1(–2); 0.2–0.4 mm long; retained within floret. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 2 mm long; dark brown. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Aveneae. Parodi 1996.

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