Poaceae
Rostraria

Rostraria cristata (L.) Tzvelev

First published in Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 7: 47 (1970 publ. 1971)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Macaronesia, Medit. to Sahara and India, Caucasus to Central Asia and W. Himalaya. It is an annual and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Annual; culms solitary, or caespitose. Culms erect, or decumbent; 5-45 cm long. Leaves mostly basal. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades flat; 2.5-15 cm long; 1.5-8 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle spiciform; linear, or lanceolate; continuous, or interrupted; 1.5-10 cm long; 0.6-1.6 cm wide. Panicle branches smooth, or scaberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 3-8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 3-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; pubescent.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 3-8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 3-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets, or shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture; shiny; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 2-3 mm long; 0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume elliptic; 3-4 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; with hyaline margins; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; oblong in profile; 3-4 mm long; membranous; much thinner on margins; shiny; keeled; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or tuberculate; glabrous, or pubescent. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn apical, or subapical; 0-3 mm long overall. Palea gaping. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
Distribution
Europe: southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, Macaronesia, northeast tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia. North America: northwest USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Caribbean, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
Reference
Aveneae. FTA.
[GB]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0