Bromus lanceolatus Roth, Catal. Bot. 1: 18 (1797).

T: Cult. vide Mathei (1986); B n.v.
Bromus macrostachys Desf., Fl. Atlant. 1: 96, t. 19, fig.2 (1798). T: habitat in Atlante prope Tlemsen

Vegetative form. Annual, erect to geniculate, caespitose. Leaves mostly basal. Culms 70 cm high, unbranched above, 4 noded. Mid-culm nodes hairy (pilose). Mid-culm internodes hollow, glabrous, terete. Leaves non-auriculate. Basal leaf sheaths not keeled, terete, densely pilose, with margins connate, in lower 2/3s, chartaceous (the free portion), ciliate. Ligule 2 mm long, hyaline, smooth, acute to obtuse, entire, abaxially hairy (pilose). Collar pilose. Leaf blades flat, linear, 190-210 mm long, 3.25-4 mm wide; sparsely adaxially pilose; sparsely abaxially pilose; with margins smooth or with margins scabrous (minutely), apices acuminose.

Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual. Incomplete spikelets absent.

Inflorescence. Inflorescence a panicle, very contracted, oblong (or obovate). Main inflorescence axis 350 mm long. Peduncles 206-215 mm long, glabrous. Rachides 95 mm long, subterete, minutely glabrous to scabrous. Rachis angles scabrous. Primary inflorescence branches strongly spreading, spiral, with spikelets inserted at the base. Spikelets 2-3 per node. Spikelets 1-2 on a typical ultimate inflorescence branch, alternate, on first order branches, strongly spreading.

Hermaphrodite (`perfect') spikelets. Hermaphrodite spikelets subsessile to pedicellate, 16 mm long, not noticeably compressed, oblong, disarticulating as a separate unit, disarticulating above the glumes. Pedicels 0.8-6 mm long. Glumes two per spikelet, free, similar, subequal. Lower glume c. 3/4s the length of the upper glume, narrowly ovate to narrowly obovate, 9 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, chartaceous, shallowly keeled to dorsally rounded, acuminate to acute, muticous, margin hyaline, margin smooth; 7 veined, veins prominent, midvein papillose to midvein scabrous (acropetally); intercostal regions papillose. Upper glume narrowly oblong to narrowly ovate, 11.5 mm long, 2 mm wide, chartaceous, acropetally keeled, shortly acuminate or acute, muticous or apiculate, margin hyaline, margin smooth; 9 veined, veins obscure, midvein papillose to midvein scabrous; intercostal regions papillose. Incomplete florets present, distal to the hermaphrodite florets. Hermaphrodite florets 6-8 per spikelet. Rachilla disarticulating between the florets, disarticulating directly below the florets, flexuous, minutely scabrous, elongated between all florets (and expanding dorsally), apically prolonged. Callus present, blunt, 0.25 mm long, minutely glabrous. Lemma similar in firmness to the glumes, narrowly obovate, 12.5 mm long, 3.5 mm wide, chartaceous, not keeled, acute, emarginate (with acute apices), 2 -lobed, awned. Lemma margins smooth. Lemma 9 veined. Lemma veins confluent towards the apex, obscure, connected by obscure transverse veins (acropetally), scabrous, with the hairs on all the veins, with the hairs extending the length of the veins; intercostal regions scabrous, the hairs over the entire dorsal surface. Awns 1, median. Median awn about as long as the body of the lemmas, 8.5 mm long, 1 veined, dorsal (flattened), arising from the upper half of the lemma, straight to geniculate (especially of the apical floret), scabrous. Palea fully developed, slightly shorter than the lemmas, thinner than the lemmas, tightly clasped by the lemmas, narrowly oblong to narrowly ovate, 10.5-11 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, membranous, 2-keeled, keels wingless, obtuse, shallowly apically notched; 2 veined, sparsely veins pilose; intercostal regions glabrous. Lodicules 2, free, hyaline, acute, with entire margins, glabrous. Anthers 1.5 mm long.

Fruit. Fruit adhering to lemma and adhering to palea (more so to the palea), oblong, dorsiventrally compressed, 9-9.5 mm wide, not grooved. Hilum 7.5 mm long, linear. Embryo 1 mm long.

Vouchers. Specimens examined morphologically: B.Symon 12897:.

Classification. Triticodae; Bromeae.

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