Poa pitardiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths thickened and forming a bulb. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10–30 cm long; 2–4 -noded. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–3 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades flat, or conduplicate; 1–10 cm long; 1–1.5 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; dense; 2–6 cm long; 1–2.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong, or ovate; laterally compressed; 3–5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes obscured by lemmas; smooth. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 2–3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; much thinner on margins; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Upper glume ovate; 2–3 mm long; 0.8–0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; elliptic in profile; 2.5 mm long; membranous; much thinner above; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate; hairy below. Lemma lateral veins stopping well short of apex. Lemma surface puberulous; hairy on veins. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy below. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: Macaronesia.

NOTES Poeae. Scholz 2001.

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