Alopecurus aequalis Sobol., Fl. Petrop. 16 (1799).

A. fulvus Sm.,

Illustrated in: Hubbard (1954) 302.

Vegetative form. Annual or perennial, erect or geniculate (sometimes rooting at the nodes). Culms base of plant absent, more than 3 noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous, exposed, not pigmented, constricted. Mid-culm internodes hollow, glabrous, terete. Leaves non-auriculate. Basal leaf sheaths not keeled, terete (flag sheath occasionally slightly inflated), glabrous, with the veins equally striate, with margins free, membranous, smooth. Ligule 3.8-4.6 mm long, not lobed, decurrent, hyaline to membranous, smooth, acute, entire. Collar glabrous. Distinct callus at blade-sheath junction absent. Leaf blades joining the sheath gradually, flat, linear, 65-100 mm long, 1-3(-5) mm wide; adaxially scabrous to adaxially puberulous, channelled; abaxially glabrous, with midrib prominent; with margins scabrous, apices acute, hooded.

Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual. Rudimentary spikelets at the base of the inflorescence, or absent. Incomplete spikelets absent. Hermaphrodite florets protogynous. Inflorescence of chasmogamous spikelets.

Inflorescence. Conspicuous vestigial foliar structure subtending the infloresence present, or absent. Inflorescence a panicle (spike-like), pallid to green, erect, contracted (narrow and spike-like, spikelets densely overlapping), 3-5 mm wide, oblong, symmetrical, partially exserted or fully exserted. Main inflorescence axis 70-130 mm long. Peduncles 40-95 mm long, glabrous, strongly ridged. Rachides 33-48 mm long, terete, sparsely scabrous. Pulvini absent. Primary inflorescence branches sparsely scabrous; solitary, not branched at the base (and partially fused to the rachis), spreading, spiral, without spikelets inserted at the base. Spikelets 2 on a typical ultimate inflorescence branch, on first order branches, erect, spreading.

Hermaphrodite (`perfect') spikelets. Hermaphrodite spikelets pedicellate, 2.3-3.1 mm long, c. 1.6 mm wide, laterally compressed, oblong to elliptic, disarticulating as a separate unit, disarticulating below the glumes. Pedicels 0.25-1 mm long, erect, thick, puberulous, straight. Glumes two per spikelet, basally connate, similar, equal in length, about equalling the florets, equalling the proximal lemma. Lower glume narrowly elliptic, 2.6-3.5 mm long, 0.7-1 mm wide, membranous, strongly keeled, without a keel-wing, obtuse, entire, muticous, margin smooth or margin ciliolate; 3 veined, veins prominent, midvein hirsute (and on lateral veins, hairs to 0.8 mm long); between veins intercostal regions glabrous and intercostal regions hirsute (near margin). Upper glume narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, 2.8-3.7 mm long, 0.6-0.9 mm wide, membranous, strongly keeled, without a keel-wing, obtuse, entire, muticous, margin smooth or margin ciliolate; 3 veined, veins prominent, midvein hirsute (and lateral veins, hairs to 0.7 mm long); usually intercostal regions glabrous, or intercostal regions puberulous. Rudimentary florets absent. Incomplete florets absent. Hermaphrodite florets 1 per spikelet. Rachilla not obviously elongated between glumes or florets, not apically prolonged. Callus absent (?). Lemma similar in firmness to the glumes, laterally compressed, elliptic, 2.6-3.2 mm long, 1-1.3 mm wide, membranous, keeled (particularly lower half), obtuse to truncate, emarginate; awned. Lemma margins connate (lower 1/2-1/3); smooth. Lemma 5 veined. Lemma veins not confluent apically, obscure, glabrous; intercostal regions glabrous. Awns 1, median. Median awn usually about as long as the body of the lemmas (shortly exserted from the glumes), 2.8-4 mm long, 1 veined, terete, dorsal, arising from the lower half of the lemma (lower 1/3 point), straight, scabrous. Palea absent. Lodicules absent. Stamens 3. Anthers 1.2-1.4 mm long, dark yellow (to orange), basally 2-lobed (1/3 the length). Ovary elliptic, glabrous. Styles 2, apical, fused.

Fruit. Fruit free from both lemma and palea, strongly laterally compressed (hemispherical in lateral view), 1.3-1.7 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide (lateral), not grooved, glabrous, without a fleshy apex. Hilum 0.13-0.15 mm long, punctiform, at the base. Embryo 0.5-0.6 mm long, not waisted, with an epiblast; endosperm soft.

Cytology. 2n = 14 (European).

Distribution. Introduced. Victoria. World distribution: Western Eurasia, USSR, Mediterranean, and North America.

Ecology. Mesophytic. In wet places. Flowers Dec. Fruits Dec.

Vouchers. Specimens examined morphologically: Vic.: Bairnsdale, Dec. 1910, H.B.Williamson (CANB).

Classification. Pooideae; Poodae; Aveneae; section Alopecurus, see Tutin, ed. (1980) 5: 242.

References. Morphology: Hubbard (1954) 303; G.C.S.Clarke in Tutin, ed. (1980) 5: 242. Cytology: G.C.S.Clarke in Tutin ed., (1980) Fl. Europaea 5: 242; Hubbard (1954) 303.

Cite this publication as:
C.M. Weiller, M.J. Henwood, J. Lenz and L. Watson (1995 onwards). `Pooideae (Poaceae) in Australia - Descriptions and Illustrations'. URL http://muse.bio.cornell.edu/delta/
Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993) should also be cited.

References and Acknowledgements