Graphephorum Desv.
Sometimes referred to Trisetum
Habit, vegetative morphology. Perennial; caespitose. Culms 50–100 cm high; herbaceous; unbranched above. Young shoots intravaginal. Leaves non-auriculate; without auricular setae. Leaf blades linear; narrow; 2–8 mm wide; flat; without cross venation; an unfringed membrane (?).
Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual, with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite florets. The spikelets all alike in sexuality; hermaphrodite.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence paniculate; open to contracted (8–20 cm long, nodding or erect); espatheate; not comprising ‘partial inflorescences’ and foliar organs. Spikelet-bearing axes persistent. Spikelets not secund; pedicellate; imbricate.
Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets 5–7 mm long; compressed laterally; disarticulating above the glumes; disarticulating between the florets. Rachilla prolonged beyond the uppermost female-fertile floret; copiously hairy (pilose). Hairy callus present. Callus hairs present, more than 0.5 mm long (0.5–2 mm long). Callus short.
Glumes two; very unequal to more or less equal; (the upper) about equalling the spikelets; long relative to the adjacent lemmas (about as long); hairless; scabrous; pointed; awnless; carinate; similar. Spikelets with female-fertile florets only, or with incomplete florets (?). The incomplete florets (if they occur) distal to the female-fertile florets. The distal incomplete florets merely underdeveloped. Spikelets without proximal incomplete florets.
Female-fertile florets 2–3(–4) (‘two to several’). Lemmas not becoming indurated; entire; pointed to blunt; awnless (usually), or mucronate (rarely with a dorsal, subapical awn-point); hairless (above the callus); scabrous; carinate; without a germination flap; 5 nerved (or more?); with the nerves non-confluent. Palea present; relatively long; tightly clasped by the lemma; awnless, without apical setae; 2-nerved; 2-keeled. Ovary glabrous; without a conspicuous apical appendage.
Fruit, embryo and seedling. Fruit not grooved; smooth. Hilum short (?). Pericarp thin. Embryo small (?).
Special diagnostic feature. Female-fertile lemma not as in Lombardochloa (q.v.).
Taxonomy. Pooideae; Triticodae; Aveneae.
Distribution, ecology, phytogeography. 3 species (Clayton and Renvoize 1986); North and central America. Helophytic, or mesophytic; species of open habitats; glycophytic. Boggy meadows and moist ground, or montane.
Holarctic and Neotropical. Boreal and Madrean. Atlantic North American and Rocky Mountains. Caribbean.
References, etc. Morphological/taxonomic: Hitchcock and Chase (1950: Trisetum melicoides, T.wolfii); Clayton and Renvoize (1986).
Special comments. Description very inadequate. Fruit data wanting. Anatomical data wanting.
Cite this publication as: Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M. J. (1992 onwards). ‘Grass Genera of the World: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval; including Synonyms, Morphology, Anatomy, Physiology, Phytochemistry, Cytology, Classification, Pathogens, World and Local Distribution, and References.’ http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/. Version: 18th August 1999. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1998), and Watson and Dallwitz (1994), and Watson, Dallwitz, and Johnston (1986) should also be cited (see References).