Grass Genera of the World

L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz


Vulpiella (Trabut) Burollet

Habit, vegetative morphology. Annual. Culms 10–40 cm high; herbaceous. Leaves non-auriculate. Leaf blades linear; narrow (?); without cross venation; an unfringed membrane; truncate; 2–4 mm long.

Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual, with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite florets.

Inflorescence. Inflorescence paniculate (2–10 cm long, with up to 4 branches at each node); open (the branches and pedicels pulvinate); without conspicuously divaricate branchlets (by contrast with Cutandia); espatheate; not comprising ‘partial inflorescences’ and foliar organs. Spikelet-bearing axes disarticulating; falling entire (branches disarticulating at the pulvini). Spikelets not secund; pedicellate.

Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets 8–25(–40) mm long; compressed laterally; disarticulating above the glumes and falling with the glumes; disarticulating between the florets (each lemma falling with the internode below, rather than the one above). Rachilla prolonged beyond the uppermost female-fertile floret; the rachilla extension with incomplete florets. Hairy callus absent.

Glumes two; very unequal; shorter than the adjacent lemmas; dorsiventral to the rachis; hairless (scabrid on the midribs); pointed (acuminate); shortly awned; non-carinate; similar. Lower glume 1 nerved. Upper glume 1–3 nerved. Spikelets with incomplete florets. The incomplete florets distal to the female-fertile florets. Spikelets without proximal incomplete florets.

Female-fertile florets 5–12(–18). Lemmas aculeolate, acuminate; similar in texture to the glumes; not becoming indurated (firm); entire; pointed; awned (the awn to 8 mm long). Awns 1; median; from a sinus, or apical; non-geniculate; much shorter than the body of the lemma to about as long as the body of the lemma; entered by one vein. Lemmas hairless; non-carinate; without a germination flap; 3 nerved. Palea present; relatively long; 2-nerved; 2-keeled. Lodicules present; 2; free; membranous; glabrous; toothed, or not toothed; not or scarcely vascularized. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous. Styles free to their bases. Stigmas 2.

Fruit, embryo and seedling. Fruit adhering to lemma and/or palea (to the palea); small (3 mm long); longitudinally grooved; compressed dorsiventrally. Hilum short (oblong-linear). Embryo small. Endosperm hard; containing compound starch grains.

Abaxial leaf blade epidermis. Costal/intercostal zonation conspicuous. Papillae absent. Long-cells markedly different in shape costally and intercostally; of similar wall thickness costally and intercostally. Mid-intercostal long-cells fusiform; having straight or only gently undulating walls. Microhairs absent. Stomata common. Subsidiaries parallel-sided. Guard-cells overlapped by the interstomatals. Intercostal short-cells absent or very rare. Costal zones with short-cells. Costal short-cells conspicuously in long rows (mainly, sometimes paired). Costal silica bodies horizontally-elongated crenate/sinuous, or horizontally-elongated smooth (few); not sharp-pointed.

Transverse section of leaf blade, physiology. C3. Mesophyll with non-radiate chlorenchyma; without adaxial palisade. Leaf blade with distinct, prominent adaxial ribs; with the ribs more or less constant in size. Midrib not readily distinguishable; with one bundle only. Bulliforms present in discrete, regular adaxial groups; in simple fans. Sclerenchyma all associated with vascular bundles.

Cytology. Chromosome base number, x = 7.

Taxonomy. Pooideae; Poodae; Poeae.

Distribution, ecology, phytogeography. 1 species; Mediterranean. Xerophytic; species of open habitats. Dry sandy places.

Holarctic. Boreal and Tethyan. Euro-Siberian. Mediterranean. European.

References, etc. Leaf anatomical: this project.


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).

Index