Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Lygeum Loefl. ex L.

Lygeum spartum Loefl. ex L.

This species is accepted, and its native range is Medit.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Rhizomes short; scaly. Culms 25-75 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 5 mm long. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 10-30 cm long; 1-1.5 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence comprising only a few spikelets; comprising 1 fertile spikelets; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole lanceolate; 3-5 cm long; chartaceous. Spikelets solitary.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2(-3) fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; urceolate; laterally compressed; 30-45 mm long; falling entire. Spikelet callus bearded. Spikelet callus hairs 0.2 length of spikelet.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2(-3) fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; urceolate; laterally compressed; 30-45 mm long; falling entire. Spikelet callus bearded. Spikelet callus hairs 0.2 length of spikelet.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes both absent or obscure.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 20-30 mm long; coriaceous; much thinner above; pallid; without keel; 7-9 -veined. Lemma surface villous. Lemma margins fused below to those of opposing floret forming an urn. Lemma hairs 7-10 mm long. Lemma apex caudate. Palea fused below to lemma margins (forming a septum between lemmas); linear; 2 length of lemma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 15-22 mm long. Stigmas 1; papillose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 8-9 mm long. Embryo 0.25-0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 2 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: southwestern and southeastern. Africa: north.
Reference
Lygeae. WDC.

Native to:

Algeria, Baleares, Egypt, Italy, Kriti, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Tunisia, Western Sahara

Introduced into:

West Himalaya

Lygeum spartum Loefl. ex L. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 522 (1754)

Accepted by

  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Cope, T.A. (1982). Flora of Pakistan 143: 1-678. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi.
  • Danin, A. & Fragman- Sapir, O. (2019). Flora of Israel Online http://flora.org.il/en/plants/.
  • Dobignard, A., Jacquemoud, F. & Jordan, D. (1992). Matériaux pour la conaissance floristique du Sahara occidental et l'Anti-Atlas méridional. I. Pteridophyta à Rosaceae Candollea 47: 113-179.
  • Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Karthikeyan, S., Jain, S.K., Nayar, M.P. & Sanjappa, M. (1989). Florae Indicae Enumeratio: Monocotyledonae: 1-435. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Boulos, L. (2005). Flora of Egypt 4: 1-617. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo.
  • Danin, A. & Fragman- Sapir, O. (2019). Flora of Israel Online http://flora.org.il/en/plants/.
  • Dobignard, A., Jacquemoud, F. & Jordan, D. (1992). Matériaux pour la conaissance floristique du Sahara occidental et l'Anti-Atlas méridional. I. Pteridophyta à Rosaceae Candollea 47: 113-179.
  • Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • 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

  • 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

    Copyright applied to individual images