| Multitribe: Answers to key questions
leading to this tribe.
| Mature inflorescence, if breaking into units, then the units not as
below; NOT [Mature inflorescence breaking into spikelet units consisting
of a sessile fertile spikelet, a hairy pedicel with or without a sterile
spikelet at tip, and a hairy rachis joint, all arising at the same point
(a node) in specialized panicle branches called rames] |
| Spikelets not as below; sterile florets if present, either located
distal to the fertile floret(s) on the rachilla or paired and attached
at the base of a single fertile floret, not paired with the upper glume
as below; lemma and palea variously textured, enclosing the flower or
not; disarticulation usually above the glumes; NOT [Spikelets usually
dorsally compressed, appearing 1-flowered but containing 1 fertile
floret and 1 sterile floret, the latter attached to the base of fertile
floret opposite the upper glume, resembling the upper glume, and
together with the upper glume enveloping the fertile floret; lower
glumes minute (sometimes absent) to 3/4 as long as upper glumes and
typically wrapping most of the way around the pedicel at base; fertile
floret seed-like with chartaceous-indurate lemma and palea enclosing
flower and fruit; disarticulation below the glumes with rare exceptions] |
| Spikelets 1 to many-flowered, subtended by a pair of glumes (only 1 on
lateral spikelets in Lolium); palea margins enclosed or not; plants of
dry or wet habitats; NOT [Spikelets 1-flowered, lacking glumes; margins
of the palea tightly enclosed by the lemma margins on female or perfect
florets; plants of wetlands, often emergent aquatic] |
| Inflorescence not as below; if a terminal spike, then the lateral
spikelets attached edgewise to the rachis with inner (upper) glume
wanting (as in Lolium); NOT [Inflorescence a terminal spike with sessile
or subsessile spikelets attached broadside at nodes on opposite sides of
the rachis] |
| Lemmas and lemma awns not as below; if lemma indurate and enveloping
the floret, then glumes distinctly dorsally compressed and calluses
glabrous (as in Milium); NOT [Lemmas stiff to indurate, firmer than the
glumes, surrounding the palea and often overlapping along the margins,
closed at the tip as well as at the base, often pubescent; lemma awns
(caducous or wanting in some species) terete and encircled at the base
by the closed tip of the lemma; calluses usually pubescent, rarely
glabrous]
|
|
| Group3: Answers to key questions
leading to this group.
| If plants mat-forming, then inflorescences not as below; NOT
[Mat-forming annuals or perennials either with clusters of spikelets
hidden by sharp-pointed leaves at branch tips, or with pistillate
inflorescences consisting of burs partially hidden within expanded leaf
sheaths with only the staminate inflorescences exceeding the upper
leaves] |
| Inflorescence not as below, the spikelets usually on pedicels in
panicles that range from spike-like to open; if spikelets sessile, then
they either have more than 1 fertile floret per spikelet or are not
arranged like the teeth of a comb; NOT [Inflorescence consisting of
spike-like panicle branches with sessile- subsessile, closely imbricate,
regularly-spaced, parallel spikelets all directed toward 1 side of the
branch like the teeth of a comb (loosely so in Bouteloua curtipendula);
fertile florets 1 per spikelet] |
| Spikelets with more than 1 fertile floret; sterile florets if present,
attached above the fertile florets (Phragmites, with sterile florets
attached above and below fertile florets, is an exception); NOT
[Spikelets with 1 fertile floret; sterile florets if present, attached
above or below the fertile floret]
|
| Glyceria: Answers to key questions
leading to this genus.
| Inflorescence a panicle with all spikelets subtended by 2 glumes; NOT
[Inflorescence a terminal spike; lateral spikelets positioned edgewise
to the rachis and lacking a glume on inside edge] |
| Spikelets usually pedicellate; if sessile-subsessile, then not
arranged as below; NOT [Spikelets sessile or subsessile on spike-like
panicle branches, or on short secondary branches in dense one-sided
clusters at branch tips] |
| Rachillas glabrous or pubescent; if pubescent, then hairs much shorter
than the lemmas; panicles and plants not as below; NOT [Rachillas with
silky hairs (4) 6-10 mm long, as long as the lemmas or nearly so;
panicles 15-35 (45) cm long, 8-20 cm wide at maturity, dense, feathery;
plants 10-30 (40) dm tall, with stout, creeping rhizomes and often
forming dense stands] |
| Glumes < 17 mm long; if glumes longer, then plants perennial; NOT
[Glumes 18-32 mm long, usually exceeding the lemmas; plants annual] |
| Plants without the below combination of characteristics; NOT [Culm
sheaths closed to near summit; leaf blades flat; spikelets 12-40 (55) mm
long; lemmas 7-14 (21) mm long, usually awned, the awns terminal or
subterminal; calluses glabrous; ovaries and caryopses with pubescent
apical appendage; caryopses adnate to paleas at maturity] |
| Plants without the below combination of characteristics; NOT [Rachilla
conspicuously pubescent with straight hairs; calluses bearded; spikelet
2 (3-4) flowered; lemma 2-4 toothed, sometimes obscurely so, sometimes
entire; lemma awns attached dorsally or just below apex, often exceeding
the lemma apex by only 1-2 mm (awn may be absent in Trisetum wolfii)] |
| Lemmas unawned or awned; if awns present, then the awns straight and
terminal or subterminal, and the calluses glabrous or with short, sparse
hairs; NOT [Lemmas awned, the awns 3-17 mm long, slightly outcurving or
geniculate, attached dorsally about midlength, or at base of 0.5-8 mm
long apical teeth; calluses with dense or long hairs] |
| Lemmas with 5 - 11 visibly-raised nerves or nerves too obscure to
count; NOT [Lemmas with 3 visibly-raised nerves (1 midnerve and 2
lateral nerves)] |
| Lemmas rounded or weakly keeled on the back, with 5-11 visibly-raised
nerves that are +/- parallel their full length, their tips not
converging distally; calluses glabrous; NOT [Lemmas not as above, either
keeled, or with obscure nerves or nerves converging distally; calluses
glabrous or pubescent] |
| Leaf sheaths closed for l/2 to 3/4 of their length, or to near top;
NOT [Leaf sheaths open to base] |
| Lemmas 1.2-5.4 mm long, 5-7-nerved; lower glumes 0.5-2.8 mm long,
1-nerved; culms not swollen into a corm at base; NOT [Lemmas 6-12 mm
long, 7-11 nerved; lower glumes 5.5-10.5 mm long, 3-5 nerved; culm base
swollen into a corm]
|
|
| Borealis: Answers to key questions
leading to this species
| Spikelets linear (with sides parallel to each other), usually >= 8
mm long, 8-12-flowered; rachilla internode length 0.6-3.5 mm; upper
glumes (2) 2.8-3.5 mm long; panicle to 2 (5) cm wide, usually
contracted, the primary branches appressed to ascending and each bearing
up to 6 spikelets; ligules 4-12 mm long, often tearing into long
trailing fragments; anthers 3; NOT [Spikelets ovate to elliptic
(widening near base or middle) or oblong, rarely linear, 1.8-8 mm long,
3-10-flowered; rachilla internode length 0.1-0.8 mm; upper glumes
0.6-2.7 (2.8) mm long; panicle 2.5-21 cm wide, open, pyramidal, the
primary branches ascending to divergent, often drooping at maturity,
bearing 15-80+ spikelets; ligules to 6 (7) mm long, variously tipped but
not as above; anthers 2 or 3] |
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