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.

Poa calliopsis

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated. Butt sheaths herbaceous; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 5–15 cm long. Culm-internodes terete; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5–2 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 1–4 cm long; 1.5–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex obtuse.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong, or pyramidal; 1.5–4.5 cm long; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches spreading, or reflexed; 1–2 -nate. Panicle branches capillary; straight, or flexuous; smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising (1–)2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic, or ovate; laterally compressed; 3.5–4 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes smooth. Floret callus woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic, or ovate; 2.3–2.8 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1(–3) -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic, or ovate; 2.3–2.8 mm long; 0.8 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; elliptic in profile; 2.7–3.5 mm long; membranous; much thinner above; keeled; lightly keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy on veins. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels smooth; eciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1.5–2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia and China. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Poeae. Fl Pak.

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