Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Ampelodesmos Link

Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Poir.) T.Durand & Schinz

This species is accepted, and its native range is W. & Central Medit.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Culms 100-200 cm long. Culm-internodes solid. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 8-20 mm long; lacerate. Leaf-blades flat, or convolute; 30-100 cm long; 4-7 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle contracted; lanceolate; 25-50 cm long. Primary panicle branches 5-10 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous; bearded in axils. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10-16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; villous; hairy above; with 2 mm long hairs. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 0.2 length of lemma.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10-16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; villous; hairy above; with 2 mm long hairs. Floret callus bearded. Floret callus hairs 0.2 length of lemma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 6-9 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 10-12 mm long; 0.8-1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 9-15 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliate; hairy below. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 1-2 mm long overall. Palea linear; 0.75 length of lemma; coriaceous; 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 3; lanceolate; 2-3 mm long; membranous; ciliate; acute. Anthers 3; 5 mm long. Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear; sulcate on hilar side; 5-6 mm long; hairy at apex. Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: western Asia. North America: southwest USA.
Reference
Poeae. WDC.

Doubtfully present in:

Corse

Native to:

Algeria, Baleares, France, Greece, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Tunisia

Introduced into:

California, East Aegean Is., Portugal

Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Poir.) T.Durand & Schinz appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Doumenge [s.n.], Morocco K000345322
s.coll. [s.n.] K000912855
Gouan, A. [142] K000912856

First published in Consp. Fl. Afric. 5: 874 (1894)

Accepted by

  • Davis, P.H. (ed.) (1985). Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 9: 1-724. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
  • Dimopoulos, P., Raus, T., Bergmeier, E., Constantinidis, T., Iatrou, G., Kokkini, S., Strid, A., & Tzanoudakis, D. (2013). Vascular plants of Greece. An annotated checklist: 1-372. Botanic gardens and botanical museum Berlin-Dahlem, Berlin and Hellenic botanical society, Athens.
  • Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2007). Flora of North America North of Mexico 24: 1-908. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 1-529. MIM, Deurne.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Dimopoulos, P., Raus, T., Bergmeier, E., Constantinidis, T., Iatrou, G., Kokkini, S., Strid, A., & Tzanoudakis, D. (2013). Vascular plants of Greece. An annotated checklist: 1-372. Botanic gardens and botanical museum Berlin-Dahlem, Berlin and Hellenic botanical society, Athens.
  • Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2007). Flora of North America North of Mexico 24: 1-908. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/