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 mairei

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rootstock evident. Butt sheaths scarious; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths. Culms 30–60 cm long. Culm-internodes terete; smooth. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths loose; smooth; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2–0.8 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 5–25 cm long; 1.5–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle smooth.

Panicle open; elliptic; 5–10 cm long; 4–8 cm wide; with spikelets clustered towards branch tips. Primary panicle branches spreading; 2 -nate. Panicle branches smooth.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 5.6–6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes smooth; sparsely hairy. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 3.5–4 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume surface asperulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblong; 4–5 mm long; 0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume surface asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; elliptic in profile; 4.5–5.5 mm long; membranous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein scaberulous; ciliate; hairy below. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface granulose; pubescent; hairy on veins. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

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

NOTES Poeae. Bor.

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