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.

Glyceria saltensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 50–85 cm long; 3–7 mm diam.; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; smooth; glabrous on surface, or hispid. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 5–11 mm long; acute. Leaf-blades erect; flat, or conduplicate; 8–16 cm long; 2.5–6 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex hooded.

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

Panicle contracted; linear; nodding; 35–50 cm long; 0.5–1 cm wide; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches appressed; bearing 1–4 fertile spikelets on each lower branch.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 2.5–3 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–14 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 11.5–23 mm long; 2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes eventually visible between lemmas. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5–4 mm long; 0.66 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 4.5–6 mm long; 1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 3.7–5 mm long; membranous; much thinner above; without keel; 11 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute. Palea 3.5–4.8 mm long; 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels winged; narrowly winged; scaberulous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; united; oblong; 0.2–0.3 mm long; fleshy; truncate. Anthers 3; 1.3–1.5 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; laterally compressed; 2.9–3 mm long. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Meliceae. Suleike & Rugolo 2004.

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