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.

Ammochloa palaestina

HABIT Annual; caespitose. Culms 0.5–4 cm long. Leaf-sheaths loose, or inflated. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5 mm long; lacerate. Leaf-blades 1.7–7(–9) cm long; 0.5–1.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; shorter than basal leaves.

Panicle capitate; ovate, or globose; 1–2 cm long; 1–1.5 cm wide.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–14 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8–15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 3–5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; scarious; much thinner on margins; 1-keeled; winged on keel; winged narrowly; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scaberulous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3–5 mm long; 0.75–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; scarious; with hyaline margins; 1-keeled; winged on keel; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scaberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets recurved at tip. Fertile lemma ovate; 4–5 mm long; chartaceous, or coriaceous; much thinner on margins; yellow; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scabrous; glabrous, or pilose. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Principal lemma awn 1 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Palea apex truncate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 0.6–0.8 mm long. Ovary beaked.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; trigonous; 1.4 mm long; apex rostrate. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: southwestern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Caucasus, western Asia, and Arabia.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Iraq.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Beak longer than ovary.

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