Elymus athericus

HABIT Perennial; short-lived; culms solitary, or caespitose. Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 20–120 cm long; 3–4 -noded. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 8–35 cm long; 2–6 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface ribbed; smooth, or scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; pungent; hardened.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; erect; bilateral; 4–20 cm long. Rhachis flattened; scabrous on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; 0.5–1 their length apart; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic to oblong; laterally compressed; 10–20 mm long; falling entire, or breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Spikelet callus glabrous; base truncate. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; subequal in width; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 8–10 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; 1-keeled; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins ribbed. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–10 mm long; 0.9–1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; 1-keeled; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume lateral veins ribbed. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 7–11 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; keeled above; 5 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute. Palea lanceolate; 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Palea apex truncate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; elliptic; membranous. Anthers 3; 5–7 mm long; dehiscent by a longitudinal slit. Stigmas 2; protandrous; laterally exserted. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; isodiametric; estipitate; without sulcus; smooth; apex unappendaged. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.9 length of caryopsis. Endosperm farinose.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: Macaronesia. Asia-temperate: western Asia. Australasia: New Zealand.

NOTES Triticeae. CEH.

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