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Key to families | Table of families and genera




Riccardo M. Baldini

Annual, perennial herb, cespitose or from vigorous rhizomes. Stem: generally erect, occasionally prostrate, 1–25 dm. Leaf: sheath open, glabrous, occasionally recurved; ligule membranous, glabrous, entire, acuminate or truncate; blade generally 2–5 dm, 1–2.5 cm wide, flat. Inflorescence: panicle, generally ovoid to cylindric, dense, occasionally interrupted; branches ascending to appressed. Spikelet: generally fertile, occasionally also sterile, laterally compressed, pedicelled; glumes equal, > and enclosing lemmas, glabrous to pubescent, awn 0, keeled, keel generally winged, > florets, 3–5-veined, wings generally entire; 3-flowered, lower florets 1–2 vestigial or 0 reduced to rudimentary lemma, generally awl-shaped, to 1/2 fertile flower, occasionally scale-like, lower occasionally reduced to a vestigial knob, upper 1 flower fertile, bisexual, lemma generally lanceolate to ovate, glabrous or silky-hairy, faintly 5-veined, awn 0; palea ± = lemma, hairy, translucent; stamens 3; anthers 0.5–4 mm; stigmas 2, plumose. Fruit: plump, ± fusiform.
± 22 species: temperate North America, Eurasia, Central America, South America. (Greek: grass with shiny spikelets) [Barkworth 2007 FNANM 24:764–773]

Key to Phalaris

1. Spikelets in clusters, lower 4–7 spikelets in each cluster with a staminate terminal floret

2. Perennial herb; fertile spikelet surrounded by 6–7 staminate (or sterile) spikelets; panicle ovate; sterile lemma 0.5–0.7 mm ..... P. coerulescens

2' Annual; fertile spikelet surrounded by 5–6 abortive, club-shaped spikelets; panicle generally obovate; sterile lemma 0.2–0.4 mm ..... P. paradoxa

1' Spikelets borne singly, all spikelets with a bisexual terminal floret

3. Glume keels not or narrowly winged

4. Annual; fertile lemma lanceolate to ovoid, hairy except tip, tip ± beaked ..... P. lemmonii

4' Perennial herb; fertile lemma lanceolate, tip acute, ± sparsely hairy

5. Panicle lanceolate, branched, lobed, occasionally ± purple; glumes 4–5 mm; fertile lemma 2.5–4 mm, sterile lemma 1.5–2 mm ..... P. arundinacea

5' Panicle generally ovoid, not lobed, ± purple; glumes generally 6–8 mm; fertile lemma 3.5–5 mm, sterile lemma 2.5–3.5 mm ..... P. californica

3' Glume keels broadly winged

6. Keel wing entire to irregularly toothed, sterile lemma 1, 0.3–1.5 mm, awl-like ..... P. minor

6' Keel wing entire, sterile lemmas generally 2, up to 4 mm, not awl-like

7. Glumes scabrous; panicle narrowly cylindric, base truncate, occasionally interrupted, fertile lemma generally 2–3.5 mm ..... P. angusta

7' Glumes glabrous to hairy, not scabrous

8. Perennial herb; glumes generally 4–5 mm ..... P. aquatica

8' Annual; glumes generally (4)6–10 mm

9. Sterile lemmas 1/5 fertile lemma, ± fleshy to corky ..... P. brachystachys

9' Sterile lemma 1/2 fertile lemma, not fleshy

10. Sterile lemma scale-like, 2–4 mm ..... P. canariensis

10' Sterile lemma feathery, 1.5–2 mm ..... P. caroliniana

