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.

Triodia secunda

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Stolons present. Culms 60–90 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths without keel; striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades aciculate; conduplicate; 6–12 cm long; stiff; dark green. Leaf-blade venation without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes borne along a central axis; appressed; unilateral; 2–3 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 10–15 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 6–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear, or lanceolate; 3–4 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; scarious; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous; rough on veins. Lower glume apex acute; mucronate. Upper glume linear, or lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; 1.1–1.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; scarious; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough on veins. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 3.5 mm long; membranous, or scarious; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein pubescent. Lemma margins pubescent. Lemma apex dentate; 3 -fid; incised 0.1 of lemma length. Palea linear, or elliptic; 3–3.5 mm long. Palea keels wingless; scabrous. Palea surface pubescent; hairy below. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Australasia: Australia.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Burbidge 1993.

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