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.

Limnopoa

HABIT Annual. Culms decumbent; 5–16 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Ligule a fringe of hairs.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes single; unilateral. Rhachis flattened. Spikelet packing abaxial.

Spikelets appressed; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels linear.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 3.8–4.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated below proximal fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes deciduous; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume elliptic; 1 length of upper glume; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume surface without pits. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume obovate; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets male; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 2 length of fertile lemma; 5–7 -veined; obtuse. Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma elliptic; cartilaginous; without keel; wingless; 5 -veined. Lemma surface unwrinkled; without grooves; pubescent. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea cartilaginous. Palea surface pubescent.

FLOWER Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; dorsally compressed; plano-convex. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Tropical Asia.

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