Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Taeniatherum Nevski

Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski

This species is accepted, and its native range is S. Central Europe to Medit. and Pakistan.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Annual. Culms erect, or decumbent; 5-50 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades convolute; 3-12 cm long; 2-5 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 1; single; oblong; bilateral; 3-7 cm long. Rhachis glabrous on surface; glabrous on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Spikelets ascending; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 2 in the cluster.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; dorsally compressed; 8-12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus disarticulating obliquely.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; dorsally compressed; 8-12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus disarticulating obliquely.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes collateral; persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; parallel to lemmas, or recurved at apex. Lower glume subulate; 17-27 mm long; 1 length of upper glume. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume subulate; 17-27 mm long. Upper glume surface scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8-12 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn straight, or curved; 70-120 mm long overall; limb scabrous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; linear.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Ovary with a fleshy appendage below style insertion; pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; linear; dorsally compressed; sulcate on hilar side; hairy at apex; apex fleshy. Embryo 0.1 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and Arabia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia. North America: northwest USA and southwest .
Reference
Triticeae. Fl Iraq.

Native to:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, France, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Morocco, North Caucasus, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, Spain, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia

Introduced into:

California, Canary Is., Chile Central, Connecticut, Great Britain, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Australia, Utah, Washington

Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Stribrny, V. [s.n.], Bulgaria K000950531 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.], Southeastern Europe K000950530 Yes
Borgeau, E. [2060], Portugal K000950529 Yes
Besser, W. [s.n.], Southeastern Europe K000950532 Yes

First published in Trudy Bot. Inst. Akad. Nauk S.S.S.R., Ser. 1, Fl. Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 1: 22 (1933)

Accepted by

  • Boulos, L. (2005). Flora of Egypt 4: 1-617. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo.
  • 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., Knees, S.G. & Miller, A.G. (2007). Flora of the Arabian peninsula and Socotra 5(1): 1-387. Edinburgh University Press.
  • Danin, A. (2004). Distribution Atlas of Plants in the Flora Palaestina area: 1-517. The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem.
  • 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.
  • Nowak, A. & Nobis, M. (eds.) (2020). Illustrated Flora of Tajikistan and adjacent areas 2: 367-766. PAN, Polish academy of sciences.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.
  • Wilson, A. (ed.) (2009). Flora of Australia 44A: 1-410. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
  • Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Bor, N.L. (1968). Flora of Iraq 9: 1-588. Ministry of Agriculture & Agrarian Reform, Baghdad.
  • Boulos, L. (2005). Flora of Egypt 4: 1-617. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo.
  • Chilton, L. (2010). Plant list for Lesvos, slightly revised 1998-2009: 1-36. Marengo, Hunstanton, England.
  • Cope, T.A., Knees, S.G. & Miller, A.G. (2007). Flora of the Arabian peninsula and Socotra 5(1): 1-387. Edinburgh University Press.
  • Davis, P.H. (ed.) (1985). Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 9: 1-724. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
  • Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Fedtschenko, B.A. & al. (1932). Flora Turkmenii 1: 1-340. Turkmenskoe gosudarstvennoe izd., Ashkhabad.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2007). Flora of North America North of Mexico 24: 1-908. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Merkodovich, N.A. (ed.) (1941). Flora Uzbekistana 1: 1-566. Izd-va Akademii nauk Uzbekskoi SSR, Tashkent.
  • Ovczinnikov, P.N. (ed.) (1957). Flora Tadzhikskoi SSR 1: 1-547. Izd-vo Akademii nauk SSSR, Moskva.
  • Pavlov, N.V. (ed.) (1956). Flora Kazakhstana 1: 1-354. Alma-Ata, Izd-vo Akademii nauk Kazakhskoi SSR.
  • Roshevitz, R.J. & al. (eds.) (1950). Flora Kirgizskoi SSR 2: 1-315. Frunze : Izd-vo KirgizFAN SSSR.
  • Takhtajan, A.L. (ed.) (2006). Konspekt Flora Kavkaza 2: 1-466. Editio Universitatis Petropolitanae.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.
  • Wilson, A. (ed.) (2009). Flora of Australia 44A: 1-410. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
  • Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.

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