| Triticeae: 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 a terminal spike with sessile or subsessile spikelets
attached broadside at nodes on opposite sides of the rachis; NOT
[Inflorescence not as above; if a terminal spike, then the lateral
spikelets attached edgewise to the rachis with inner (upper) glume
wanting (as in Lolium)]
|
|
| Psathyrostachys: Answers to key questions
leading to this genus.
| Spikelets 2 or more per node, occasionally 1 at some nodes; NOT
[Spikelets 1 per node, occasionally 2 at some nodes] |
| Spikelets 2-7 per node with 1-7 (9) florets per spikelet; if spikelets
3 per node, then some spikelets with more than 1 floret; NOT [Spikelets
3 per node with 1 floret per spikelet; florets in central spikelet
always fertile, those in the 2 lateral spikelets sterile and greatly
reduced in plants that disarticulate at rachis nodes but may be fertile
in plants with a continuous rachis] |
| Lemmas unawned or with awns up to 4 mm long; glumes not distinctly
bowed out at base; NOT [Lemmas awned, the awns usually (5) 8-120 mm
long, shorter (to 3 (5) mm) in plants with glumes distinctly bowed out
(as in E. curvatus)] |
| Spikelets sessile, 1-2 (3)-flowered; glumes not overlapping at base;
rachis internodes 2-4 mm long; glumes 3-6 (7) mm long (in ours), ±
equal; disarticulation above the glumes, or at the rachis nodes late in
maturity; NOT [Spikelets sessile or subsessile, usually 3-7
(9)-flowered; if 2-flowered, then glumes overlapping at base concealing
the base of the lowest floret; rachis internodes 4-10 mm long; glumes
(5) 7 mm long or longer, if shorter, then distinctly unequal in length
within a pair; disarticulation above the glumes, not at the rachis
nodes] |
|