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.

Nassella parva

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; slender; 6–20 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar glabrous. Leaf-blades filiform; flat, or convolute; 2–5 cm long; 0.3–0.4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle open; linear; 7–18 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels puberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 3.5–5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus brief; 0.2–0.4 mm long; sparsely hairy; acute.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.5–5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.5–5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; subterete; 2.5–3 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface papillose; rough generally, or above; pilose. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex with a membranous corona and surmounted by a ring of hairs; with this appendage 0.3–0.4 mm long; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn bigeniculate; 7–12 mm long overall; with 3–5 mm long limb; with twisted column; deciduous. Column of lemma awn 2–2.5 mm long; glabrous. Palea 1 mm long; 0.2–0.33 length of lemma; 0 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 2. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Stipeae. Torres 1997.

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