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.

Hordeum fuegianum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes absent, or short. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 19–50 cm long; 3–4 -noded. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths 6–15 cm long; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–0.4 mm long. Leaf-blades 1–10 cm long; 1.3–3.8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; pubescent; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle 15–32 cm long.

Racemes 1; single; bilateral; 4–7 cm long; 4–5 mm wide; bearing 20–45 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes cuneate; 0.9–2.3 mm long; falling with spikelet above.

Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong; curved; 1.5–3.3 mm long.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 15–15.4 mm long; as long as fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes similar in width; subulate; 10–15.4 mm long. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 1; 1.8–3.7 mm long; muticous, or 1-awned; with 0–1.3 mm long awn.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 10.2–15.4 mm long; 0.9–1.6 mm wide; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.

GLUMES Glumes collateral; similar; exceeding apex of florets; gaping. Lower glume subulate; 10.2–15.4 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous. Upper glume subulate; 10.2–15.4 mm long; coriaceous.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6.7–9.3 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pilose. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3.8–8.4 mm long overall. Rhachilla extension 4.2–6.5 mm long; pilose.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; 0.9–1.4 mm long; glabrous, or ciliate; obtuse, or acute. Anthers 3; 1.5–2.1 mm long; yellow, or purple. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Triticeae. Bothmer 1997.

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