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 khasiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths herbaceous. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 35–70 cm long; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes terete; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths loose; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long; erose; obtuse. Leaf-blades 10–20 cm long; 2–3 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins smooth. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth.

Panicle open; pyramidal; 10–15 cm long; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches spreading; 3–5 -nate; bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1.25–1.5 mm long; smooth. Floret callus glabrous, or woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 2–2.5 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; glandular; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 3–3.5 mm long; 0.8–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough above. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; elliptic in profile; 3–4 mm long; membranous; glandular on surface; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous; ciliate; hairy below. Lemma lateral veins extending close to apex. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels scabrous; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 1 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Poeae. Bor.

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