Tovarochloa T.D. Macfarlane and P. P.-H. But
From the Greek chloa (a grass), and for O. Tovar (Peruvian agrostologist).
Habit, vegetative morphology. Very diminutive alpine annual. Culms 0.3–1 cm high; herbaceous. Culm nodes hidden by leaf sheaths (the internodes condensed). Leaves non-auriculate. Sheaths green or hyaline, with broad membranous margins. Leaf blades linear to ovate; narrow (but relatively broad, and short); flat, or folded; without cross venation; ligule present (lower leaves), or absent (upper leaves); an unfringed membrane; not truncate; 0.3 mm long.
Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual, with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite florets.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence paniculate (usually shorter than the leaves); contracted; capitate (nearly concealed); espatheate; not comprising ‘partial inflorescences’ and foliar organs. Spikelet-bearing axes persistent. Spikelets not secund; pedicellate.
Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets 3–3.3 mm long; compressed laterally; disarticulating above the glumes. Rachilla terminated by a female-fertile floret. Hairy callus present, or absent.
Glumes two; more or less equal; shorter than the adjacent lemmas, or long relative to the adjacent lemmas; hairless; glabrous; pointed (apiculate, the apiculum sometimes recurved); awnless; carinate; very dissimilar to similar (membranous except along the vein, the lower sometimes apically lobed or shouldered). 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 (slightly firmer); not becoming indurated (membranous); entire; pointed; awnless (but apiculate), or mucronate (the awnlet less than 1mm long); uniformly hairy; non-carinate; without a germination flap; 1 nerved, or 3 nerved, or 5 nerved (sometimes with one or two pairs of short laterals); with the nerves non-confluent. Palea present; relatively long; awnless, without apical setae, or with apical setae (with one or two points, according to whether one or two veined); textured like the lemma; not indurated (membranous); 1-nerved, or 2-nerved; one-keeled (when 1 nerved), or keel-less. Palea back hairy. Lodicules present; 2; free; membranous; glabrous; toothed; not or scarcely vascularized. Stamens 2, or 3 (?). Anthers 0.4–0.6 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Styles free to their bases. Stigmas 2; white.
Fruit, embryo and seedling. Fruit free from both lemma and palea; small (1.5–1.7 mm long); pale brown; compressed dorsiventrally. Hilum short. Embryo small. Endosperm hard; with lipid; containing compound starch grains.
Abaxial leaf blade epidermis. Costal/intercostal zonation lacking. Papillae absent. Mid-intercostal long-cells fusiform; having straight or only gently undulating walls. Microhairs absent. Stomata common. Subsidiaries parallel-sided and dome-shaped. Intercostal short-cells common to absent or very rare; not paired (solitary); not silicified. Costal zones with short-cells (but few silica cells). Costal short-cells predominantly paired. Costal silica bodies not sharp-pointed.
Transverse section of leaf blade, physiology. C3; XyMS+. Leaf blade adaxially flat. Midrib not readily distinguishable; with one bundle only.
Taxonomy. Pooideae; Poodae; Aveneae.
Distribution, ecology, phytogeography. 1 species; Peru. Species of open habitats. High Andes.
Neotropical. Andean.
References, etc. Morphological/taxonomic: Macfarlane and But 1982.
Illustrations. • Spikelet details
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).
