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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Poa polycolea

HABIT Perennial. Stolons present. Butt sheaths scarious; withering, or persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 15–40 cm long. Culm-internodes terete; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5–3 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform, or linear; 3.5–8 cm long; 1–2.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; effuse; equilateral, or nodding; 5–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading; 2–5 -nate. Panicle branches capillary; flexuous; smooth.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 4–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas; smooth. Floret callus glabrous, or pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 2.5–3(–3.7) mm long; 0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume elliptic to ovate; 3–3.5(–5) mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; elliptic in profile; 3.5–5.5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein eciliate, or ciliolate. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy on veins. Lemma margins eciliate, or ciliolate. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels scabrous; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 2–2.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: western Asia and China. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Pak.

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