Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Sesleria Scop.

Sesleria rigida Heuff. ex Rchb.

This species is accepted, and its native range is E. & S. Carpathians.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; 15-45 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths tubular for much of their length; pubescent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.2-0.4 mm long. Leaf-blades convolute; 1-2 mm wide; 0.5-1 cm long at summit of culm; pruinose. Leaf-blade venation with 7-11 secondary veins; without layer of subepidermal sclerenchyma masking vein striation, or with continuous uniform subepidermal sclerenchyma layer on the underside. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle tipped by a glumaceous appendage (treated as sterile spikelets). Panicle capitate; oblong, or ovate; loose; 1.5-3 cm long; 0.7 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Basal sterile spikelets represented by a single scale; 2 in number. Basal sterile spikelet glumes membranous. Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Sterile
Basal sterile spikelets represented by a single scale; 2 in number. Basal sterile spikelet glumes membranous.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets. Lower glume lanceolate; 5-6 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1-3 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy on veins. Lower glume margins eciliate, or ciliolate. Lower glume apex acute; muticous. Upper glume lanceolate; 5-6 mm long; membranous; 1-keeled; 1-3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy on veins. Upper glume margins eciliate, or ciliate. Upper glume apex acute; muticous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate, or ovate; 4-5 mm long; membranous; without keel; 3-5 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy on veins. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex dentate; 3 -fid; awned; 1-3 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.5-1.5 mm long overall. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex awned.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3. Stigmas 2; terminally exserted; pubescent. Ovary pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex. Hilum elliptic.
Distribution
Europe: southeastern.
Reference
Poeae. Deyl 1994.

Native to:

Romania

Sesleria rigida Heuff. ex Rchb. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Fl. Germ. Excurs.: 140(3) (1831)

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.
  • 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.
  • Kliment, J., Turis, P. & Janišová, M. (2016). Taxa of vascular plants endemic to the Carpathian Mts Preslia. Casopsi Ceské Botanické Spolecnosti 88: 19-76.
  • Kuzmanovic, N. & al. (2013). Genetic, cytological and morphological differentiation within the Balkan-Carpathian Sesleria rigida sensu Fl. Eur. (Poaceae): A taxonomically intricate tetraploid-octoploid complex Taxon 62: 458-472.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Kuzmanovic, N. & al. (2013). Genetic, cytological and morphological differentiation within the Balkan-Carpathian Sesleria rigida sensu Fl. Eur. (Poaceae): A taxonomically intricate tetraploid-octoploid complex Taxon 62: 458-472.

  • 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