Lombardochloa Rosengurtt & Arillaga
Named after A. Lombardo, South American agrostologist.
Including Poidium rufum (Presl) Mattei
Sometimes referred to Briza
Habit, vegetative morphology. Perennial; caespitose. Culms 50–150 cm high (?); herbaceous. Young shoots intravaginal. Leaves non-auriculate. The fibrous remains of the sheaths persisting. Leaf blades narrow; flat, or folded; without cross venation; persistent; an unfringed membrane.
Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual, with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite florets; exposed-cleistogamous, or chasmogamous (?).
Inflorescence. Inflorescence paniculate; open; espatheate; not comprising ‘partial inflorescences’ and foliar organs. Spikelet-bearing axes persistent. Spikelets not secund; pedicellate.
Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets compressed laterally; disarticulating above the glumes; disarticulating between the florets; with a distinctly elongated rachilla internode above the glumes. Rachilla prolonged beyond the uppermost female-fertile floret; the rachilla extension with incomplete florets. Hairy callus present. Callus short.
Glumes two; more or less equal; about equalling the spikelets; long relative to the adjacent lemmas; hairless; glabrous; awnless; carinate; similar (naviculate). Lower glume 3 nerved. Upper glume 3 nerved. Spikelets with incomplete florets. The incomplete florets distal to the female-fertile florets. The distal incomplete florets merely underdeveloped. Spikelets without proximal incomplete florets.
Female-fertile florets 2–4. Lemmas broad, with a succulent, translucent region near the base of each wing; not becoming indurated; entire; pointed to blunt; awnless; hairless; carinate to non-carinate (slightly keeled when mature); 5 nerved. Palea present; relatively long; entire (acute or obtuse); awnless, without apical setae; not indurated; 2-nerved; 2-keeled. Palea keels wingless. Lodicules present; 2; free; membranous; glabrous; not toothed. Stamens 3, or 1 (in cleistogamous florets). Ovary glabrous. Stigmas 2.
Fruit, embryo and seedling. Fruit adhering to lemma and/or palea to free from both lemma and palea; longitudinally grooved. Hilum short. Endosperm with lipid.
Phytochemistry. Leaves without flavonoid sulphates (1 species).
Special diagnostic feature. Lemmas not as in Briza (q.v.). Female-fertile lemma very broad, with a conspicuous, succulent, translucent region near the base of each wing.
Taxonomy. Pooideae; Poodae; Poeae.
Distribution, ecology, phytogeography. 1 species; South America.
Neotropical. Andean.
References, etc. Morphological/taxonomic: Rosengurtt and Arrillaga de Maffei 1979.
Special comments. 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).