Linkagrostis Garcia, Blanca & Torres
Sometimes referred to Agrostis (A. juressi Link)
Habit, vegetative morphology. Perennial; stoloniferous. Culms 40–80 cm high; herbaceous; unbranched above; 2–4 noded. Culm nodes exposed. Culm leaves present. Young shoots intravaginal. Leaves not basally aggregated; non-auriculate. Leaf blades linear to lanceolate; narrow; (4–)5–8(–10) mm wide (4–15 cm long); flat; without cross venation; persistent; an unfringed membrane; truncate; 0.2–0.5 mm long.
Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual, with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite florets. The spikelets hermaphrodite.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence paniculate; contracted (with short, erect branches); spicate (interrupted); espatheate; not comprising ‘partial inflorescences’ and foliar organs. Spikelet-bearing axes persistent. Spikelets not secund; pedicellate (the pedicels much shorter than the spikelets, not clavate); imbricate.
Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets 2.5–3.2 mm long; compressed laterally; disarticulating above the glumes. Hairy callus absent. Callus glabrous.
Glumes two; more or less equal; about equalling the spikelets to exceeding the spikelets; long relative to the adjacent lemmas (somewhat exceeding it); puberulent; not pointed; awnless; carinate; similar (herbaceous, lanceolate). Lower glume 1 nerved. Upper glume 1 nerved. Spikelets with female-fertile florets only; without proximal incomplete florets.
Female-fertile florets 1. Lemmas similar in texture to the glumes (leathery, green); not becoming indurated; entire to incised; more or less linear, narrowed above; not deeply cleft (obtuse, truncate or denticulate); awnless to mucronate; hairless; non-carinate; without a germination flap; 5 nerved; with the nerves non-confluent. Palea present; conspicuous but relatively short to very reduced (no more than 1/5 the lemma length); tightly clasped by the lemma; apically notched; awnless, without apical setae. Lodicules present; 2; free; membranous (falcate); glabrous. Stamens 3. Anthers about 1.2 mm long. Ovary glabrous; without a conspicuous apical appendage. Stigmas 2; white.
Fruit, embryo and seedling. Fruit small (about 1.5 mm long); ellipsoid; longitudinally grooved; compressed dorsiventrally. Hilum short. Embryo small.
Abaxial leaf blade epidermis. Costal/intercostal zonation conspicuous. Papillae absent. Intercostal zones with typical long-cells. Mid-intercostal long-cells fusiform; having straight or only gently undulating walls. Microhairs absent. Stomata common. Costal silica bodies horizontally-elongated crenate/sinuous (?).
Transverse section of leaf blade, physiology. C3; XyMS+. Mesophyll not Isachne-type; not traversed by colourless columns. Leaf blade adaxially flat. Midrib not readily distinguishable; with one bundle only; without colourless mesophyll adaxially. Bulliforms present in discrete, regular adaxial groups; in simple fans. Combined sclerenchyma girders present. Sclerenchyma all associated with vascular bundles.
Cytology. Chromosome base number, x = 7. 2n = 14.
Taxonomy. Pooideae; Poodae; Aveneae.
Distribution, ecology, phytogeography. 1 species; Iberian Peninsula and northeast Africa. Mesophytic; shade species; glycophytic. In damp, shady places.
Holarctic. Tethyan. Mediterranean.
References, etc. Morphological/taxonomic: Garcia, Blanca and Torres 1987. Leaf anatomical: Garcia, Blanca and Torres 1987.
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).