Briza minor L., Sp. Pl. 70 (1753).

T: habitat in Hevetia, Italia.

Vegetative form. Annual, caespitose. Leaves scattered along the culms. Culms 7-23 cm high, unbranched above, 2 noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Mid-culm internodes solid, glabrous, terete. Leaves non-auriculate. Basal leaf sheaths not keeled, terete, glabrous, with margins free, hyaline, smooth. Ligule 2-3.5 mm long, hyaline, smooth, acute, entire. Collar glabrous. Leaf blades flat, linear, 18-70 mm long, 2-4(-7) mm wide; adaxially scabrous; abaxially glabrous; with margins scabrous, apices acute, flat.

Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual. Incomplete spikelets absent. Inflorescence of cleistogamous spikelets (although the anthers and stigmata are exserted beyond the palea they remain enclosed within the lemma).

Inflorescence. Inflorescence a panicle, open, oblong. Main inflorescence axis 60-140(-256) mm long. Peduncles 35-97 mm long, glabrous. Rachides 5-55(-82) mm long, strap-like to subterete, glabrous to scabrous. Rachis angles scabrous. Primary inflorescence branches spreading to divaricate, opposite, without spikelets inserted at the base. Spikelets 2-4 on a typical ultimate inflorescence branch, decussate, on first order branches or on second order branches.

Hermaphrodite (`perfect') spikelets. Hermaphrodite spikelets pedicellate, 2.5-4 mm long, laterally compressed, broadly ovate, disarticulating as a separate unit, disarticulating above the glumes. Pedicels 5-15 mm long. Glumes two per spikelet, free, similar, equal in length. Lower glume broadly obovate to elliptic, 0.75-2.25 mm long, 0.35-1 mm wide, chartaceous, dorsally rounded, shortly acuminate, muticous, base cordate, margin hyaline, margin smooth; 3-5 veined, midvein glabrous; intercostal regions glabrous. Upper glume broadly subulate, 5.25-5.5 mm long, 2.5-3.5 mm wide, chartaceous, dorsally rounded, shortly acuminate, muticous, margin hyaline (narrow), margin smooth; 5 veined, veins obscure, midvein glabrous; intercostal regions glabrous. Incomplete florets present, distal to the hermaphrodite florets. Hermaphrodite florets 4-6 per spikelet. Rachilla disarticulating between the florets, disarticulating directly below the florets, flexuous, glabrous, elongated between the upper glume and first floret and elongated between all florets, not apically prolonged. Callus present, blunt, 0.1 mm long, glabrous. Lemma similar in firmness to the glumes, broadly obovate to elliptic, 2-2.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, chartaceous, not keeled, shortly acuminate, entire, muticous. Lemma margins smooth. Lemma 9 veined (but may be somewhat obscure). Lemma veins not confluent apically, obscure, not connected by transverse veins, glabrous; intercostal regions glabrous. Palea fully developed, slightly shorter than the lemmas, similar in texture to the lemmas, tightly clasped by the lemmas, elliptic, 3.75 mm long, 1.75 mm wide, membranous to chartaceous, 2-keeled, keels winged, acute, entire; 2 veined, veins glabrous; intercostal regions glabrous. Lodicules 2, free, hyaline, acuminate, with entire margins, glabrous. Stamens 3; filaments 4 mm long. Anthers 0.5 mm long, basally 2-lobed. Ovary without a conspicuous apical appendage, glabrous. Styles 2, free to their bases.

Fruit. Fruit free from both lemma and palea, obovoid, ventrally compressed (on the palea side), 0.75 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, not grooved, glabrous. Hilum 0.1 mm long, punctiform.

Abaxial leaf blade epidermis. Leaf anatomical data recorded.

Costal/intercostal zonation conspicuous; the intercostal zones bordering the midrib 15-17 cells wide; epidermis differentiated into long- and short-cells; long-cells different in shape costally and intercostally; long-cells of similar wall thickness costally and intercostally.

Microhairs absent.

Crown cells absent. Prickles present (though rare); costal and marginal; antrorse; fairly uniform in size and form. Prickle bases paired with a short-cell. Costal prickles along zones associated with primary vascular bundles only; infrequent. Costal prickles not over-arching the intercostal zones; bases of the costal prickles about as long as the width of an intercostal long-cell, or longer than the width of an intercostal long-cell; barbs of the costal prickles shorter than the bases. Macrohairs absent.

Intercostal long-cells fairly constant in shape. Mid-intercostal long-cells markedly elongated; fusiform; inflated; long-cell walls straight; end walls vertical and rounded. Papillae absent.

The costal zones all histologically similar; costal short-cells occurring sporadically in the files of long-cells as mixtures of solitaries, pairs or short rows. Costal silica bodies present and perfectly developed; throughout the costal zones; horizontal-crenate and horizontal-smooth.

Intercostal short-cells absent; silica bodies absent.

Stomata common; present in all the intercostal zones; distributed throughout the intercostal zones; arranged in definite rows. Stomatal rows in the widest intercostal zones 4-6; evenly dispersed. Stomata 42-48-54 m long; with guard-cells overlapped by the interstomatals. Subsidiaries parallel-sided.

Photosynthetic pathway and related features. C3. XyMS+.

Transverse section of the leaf blade. Lamina mid-zone in transverse section open; more or less flat. Width of lamina across a primary vascular bundle 102-125-144 m. Lamina mid-zone in transverse section exhibiting adaxial ribs only. Adaxial furrows wide. Adaxial furrows between all the vascular bundles. Adaxial ribs more or less constant in size; round topped; opposite all vascular bundles. Vascular bundles in the mid-lamina 12-14; 1 per rib. Abaxial furrows absent.

Midrib pronounced in outline; not adaxially prominent; prominent abaxially. Midrib sclerenchyma as a compact, thick adaxial strand only. Midrib tissue layout similar to that of other primary vascular bundles. The median vascular bundle with a protoxylem cavity; with an enlarged protoxylem vessel; with sclerosed phloem. Midrib with colourless tissue adaxially; without thin-walled sclerenchymatous cells adaxially; without lacunae. The lamina symmetrical on either side of the midrib.

Mesophyll chlorenchyma non-radiate; tightly packed. Mesophyll without lacunae; without any obvious adaxial palisade; without `circular cells'; not traversed by columns of colourless cells; without arm cells; without fusoids. Bulliforms absent as discrete groups but the epidermis extensively bulliform. Abaxial epidermis of bulliform-like epidermal cells. Abaxial epidermal cell walls not thickened. The cells regular in shape, ovoid, or irregular in shape.

The major vascular bundles interspersed with minor bundles; outlines of primary vascular bundles more or less circular; primary vascular bundles centrally situated. Primary lateral vascular bundles with adaxial sclerenchyma; with abaxial sclerenchyma; the adaxial sclerenchyma forming girders; the abaxial sclerenchyma forming strands. Outlines of lower order vascular bundles more or less circular. Lower order vascular bundles centrally situated; with adaxial sclerenchyma, or without adaxial sclerenchyma; with abaxial sclerenchyma, or without abaxial sclerenchyma; the adaxial sclerenchyma when present, forming strands; the abaxial sclerenchyma when present, forming strands; the smallest vascular bundles lacking sclerenchyma. The adaxial sclerenchyma of the mid-lamina all associated with vascular bundles.

Vouchers. Specimens examined morphologically: R.Story 6682: 6 mls NW. of Morrisset (N.S.W.); 30.ix.1959; Fl., Fr.; CANB - R.Schodde 1204: near Mullion Ck., Wmbat Rng. (N.S.W.); 7.xii.1960; Fl.; A, CANB, K, L, NSW - R.Pullen 4290: C.S.I.R.O. grounds, Canberra (A.C.T.); 23.x.1968; Fl.; CANB - R.Pullen 3925: C.S.I.R.O. grounds, Canberra (A.C.T.); 11.xi.1963; Fr.; CANB -W.R.Wallace s.n. CANB 190323: West Perth (W.A.); 7.ix.1926; Fl.; CANB - T.G.Hartley 13498: Lower W. slope of Tinderry mountains; 28.xi.1971; Fl.; CANB - A.C.Beauglehole 5417: Lord Howe Is. (N.S.W.); 17.xi.1962; Fr.; CANB, MEL - K.Jackson & C.E.Hubbard 8623, Norman Ck., Moreton District (Qld.); 15.ix.1930; Fl.; CANB, K - C.E.Hubbard 4100: Kuaby, near Brisbane (Qld.); 20.ix.1930; Fl.; CANB, K - C.E.Hubbard 4726: Sherwood Arboretum, near Brisbane (Qld.); 29.x.1930; Fl.; CANB, K - C.E.Hubbard 4064: Bulimba, Brisbane (Qld.); 14.ix.1930; Fl.; CANB, K - R.Barker s.n. CANB 324898: Waddles hunting ground, Jordan R. (Tas.); xi.1964; Fl.; CANB - J.S.Whinray 1871: Flinders Is., Furneaux group (Tas.); 9.xi.1968; Fl; CANB K.J.Knight 185: The Strand, Applecross (W.A.); 21.ix.1984; ??? - J.Sommerville s.n. CANB 358612: Ulverstone (Tas.); xi.1950; Fr.; CANB, HO.

Material examined anatomically: N.S.W.: 6 mls NW. of Morrisset, 30.ix.1959 R.Story 6682 (CANB). W.A.: West Perth, 7.ix.1926 W.R.Wallace s.n. (CANB) 190323. Tas.: Waddles hunting ground, Jordan R., xi.1964 R.Barker s.n. (CANB) 324898.

Classification. Poodae; Poeae.

References. Illustrations: briza01.gif briza02.gif

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