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.

Muhlenbergia glomerata

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms erect; 30–120 cm long. Culm-internodes smooth; distally pubescent. Leaf-sheaths keeled; scaberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2–0.6 mm long; erose; truncate. Leaf-blades 2–15 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle spiciform; linear, or lanceolate; continuous, or interrupted; 1.5–12 cm long; 0.3–1.8 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed; 0.2–2.5 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 2–4 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose. Floret callus hairs 1 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets, or exceeding apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough at apex. Lower glume apex attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 2–5 mm long. Upper glume lanceolate; 2–4 mm long; 1–1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous; rough at apex. Upper glume apex attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 2–5 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 1.4–3.1 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein pubescent. Lemma surface asperulous; rough above; pubescent; hairy at base. Lemma margins pubescent. Lemma apex attenuate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–1 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea surface pilose; hairy on back.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.8–1.5 mm long; yellow.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Subarctic, western Canada, eastern Canada, north-central USA, northeast USA, and southeast USA.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Fl Brit Columbia 2002.

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