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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Muhlenbergia breviseta

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms slender; 5–20(–30) cm long; 0.3–0.8 mm diam.; wiry. Culm-nodes pubescent. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode; wider than blade at the collar; scaberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; conduplicate, or involute; 1–4 cm long; 0.5–1 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or ovate; effuse; 2–3.5(–7) cm long; 1 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; 1 cm long; bearing 3–12 fertile spikelets on each lower branch.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; flexuous; 1–2.5 mm long; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 1.3–1.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate, or ovate; 0.7–1.2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; purple; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute, or acuminate; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 0.7–1.2 mm long; 0.5–0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; purple; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute, or acuminate; muticous, or mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 1.3–1.5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex erose; obtuse; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea surface pilose; hairy on back.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Anthers 3; 0.8–1.2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 0.8 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Eragrostideae. Fl Nov Gal.

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