Family:
Poaceae Barnhart

Uniola L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is SE. U.S.A. to Central America, Caribbean, Venezuela to W. South America.

[GB]

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Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Rhizomes absent (2), or short (1), or elongated (2). Stolons absent (4), or present (1). Culms erect; 75-133-200 cm long. Lateral branches lacking (1/1). Leaves differentiated into sheath and blade (4), or without demarcation between sheath and blade (1). Ligule a fringe of hairs (4), or absent (1). Leaf-blades herbaceous (1), or coriaceous (4); stiff (4), or firm (1).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes borne along a central axis; not compacted (4), or in a multilateral false spike (1); unilateral (4), or paucilateral (1). Rhachis angular (2/2). Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded; 2 -rowed (3/3). Spikelets solitary (3), or in pairs (2). Fertile spikelets sessile (4), or pedicelled (1); 2 in the cluster (1/1). Pedicels oblong (2/2).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets (3), or 2-3 basal sterile florets, or 4-5 basal sterile florets (3), or 6 basal sterile florets (2); 1-2 fertile florets (1), or 3-6 fertile florets (2), or 7 fertile florets (1), or 10-11 fertile florets (2), or 12 fertile florets (3), or 13-15 fertile florets (2), or 16-20 fertile florets (1); with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 4-11.9-35 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets (3), or 2-3 basal sterile florets, or 4-5 basal sterile florets (3), or 6 basal sterile florets (2); 1-2 fertile florets (1), or 3-6 fertile florets (2), or 7 fertile florets (1), or 10-11 fertile florets (2), or 12 fertile florets (3), or 13-15 fertile florets (2), or 16-20 fertile florets (1); with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 4-11.9-35 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate (4), or ovate (1); 0.66-0.891-1 length of upper glume; membranous (2), or chartaceous (3); 1-keeled; wingless (4), or winged on keel (1); 1 -veined (3), or 3 -veined (2). Lower glume lateral veins absent (3), or distinct (2). Lower glume surface glabrous, or puberulous (1). Lower glume apex acute (4), or acuminate (1); muticous, or mucronate (1). Upper glume lanceolate (4), or ovate (1); 0.3-0.664-1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous (2), or chartaceous (3); 1-keeled; wingless (4), or winged on keel (1); 1 -veined (3), or 3 -veined (1), or 5 -veined (1). Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous (1). Upper glume apex acute (4), or acuminate (1); muticous, or mucronate (1).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate (1), or elliptic (1), or ovate (4); coriaceous (4/4); 3-4 -veined (1/4), or 5 -veined (4/4), or 6-7 -veined (2/4), or 8-9 -veined (1/4); acute (4/4). Fertile lemma elliptic (2), or ovate (4); cartilaginous (1), or coriaceous (4); of similar consistency on margins (4), or much thinner on margins (1); keeled; 3-4 -veined (2), or 5 -veined, or 6-7 -veined (2), or 8-9 -veined (1). Lemma midvein without distinctive roughness (1), or scabrous (4). Lemma lateral veins obscure (1/2), or distinct (1/2). Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous (1). Lemma margins eciliate (4), or ciliolate (2). Lemma apex truncate (1), or obtuse (1), or acute (3), or acuminate (1); muticous (4), or mucronate (3). Palea 0.75-0.9167-1.1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels wingless (3), or winged (2); smooth (3), or scaberulous (1), or scabrous (1); eciliate (3), or ciliolate (2). Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2 (1/1). Anthers 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp (4/4); ellipsoid (2/4), or oblong (1/4), or ovoid (2/4); isodiametric (1/1). Embryo 0.5 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Australasia (1), or North America (2), or South America.

Native to:

Alabama, Bahamas, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Delaware, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Florida, Galápagos, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Louisiana, Maryland, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, Nicaragua, North Carolina, Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Turks-Caicos Is., Venezuela, Virginia

Uniola L. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Sp. Pl.: 71 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R.H.A. (2011). World checklist of selected plant families published update Facilitated by the Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0