familyPoaceae
subfamilyPoaceae subfam. Pooideae
tribePoaceae tribe Poeae
genusDesmazeria
speciesDesmazeria sicula

Desmazeria sicula

(Jacq.) Dumort.
Gordon C. Tucker
Common names: Spike grass
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 682.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Linda Ann Vorobik, Hana Pazdírková

Copyright: Utah State University

Culms 8-25 (35) cm, erect or geniculate, glabrous. Sheaths glabrous, upper margins membranous, continuous with the sides of the ligules; ligules 1.4-2.5 mm, erose; blades 2-13 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, blades of basal leaves usually folded, cauline blades flat. Inflorescences racemes, 1.5-6 cm, not stiff, spikelets borne in 2 rows; pedicels 0.5-1 mm, appressed. Spikelets 8-15 (22) mm, ovate, crowded, with (5) 12-25 florets; rachillas with capitate hairs. Glumes glabrous, usually smooth, keels sometimes scabridulous distally, apices obtuse to subacute; lower glumes 2.5-3 mm, 3-veined; upper glumes 3-4 mm, 3-5-veined; lemmas 3.5-4.5 mm, more or less cucullate, puberulent with capitate hairs, strongly keeled, keels sometimes scabridulous distally, apices subacute to obtuse, not or scarcely mucronate; anthers 0.8-1.4 mm. 2n = 14.

Discussion

Desmazeria sicula used to be cultivated as an ornamental in the Flora region (Hitchcock 1951), but it is not included in contemporary treatments of ornamental grasses.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Desmazeria sicula"
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2n chromosome quantity
14 +
Abaxial ligule presence
absent +
Abaxial ligule quantity
common +
Adaxial cell presence
absent +
Adaxial cell shape
bulliform +
Adaxial ligule architecture or pubescence or shape
ciliate +
Adaxial ligule presence
absent +
Adaxial ligule texture
membranous +  and scarious +
Anther position
exserted +
Anther quantity
3 +
Anther some measurement
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br />) +
Apex architecture or shape
bifid +
Apex shape
mucronate +, subacute +  and obtuse +
Arm cell presence
absent +
Auricle presence
absent +
Author
Gordon C. Tucker +
Authority
(Jacq.) Dumort. +
Awn atypical quantity
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Awn course
straight +
Awn orientation
arising +
Awn position
basal +  and terminal +
Awn quantity
single +
Awn shape
bent +
Back shape
keeled +  and rounded +
Basal floret quantity
1 +  and 2 +
Base architecture
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
Base arrangement
close +
Base fusion
free +
Base position
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
Base size
swelling +
Base texture
hard +
Base width
thick +
Blade architecture or shape
folded +
Blade arrangement
parallel +
Blade arrangement or course or shape
linear +
Blade arrangement or shape
convolute +
Blade length
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (13 cm130 mm <br />0.13 m <br />) +
Blade prominence
not evident +
Blade prominence or shape
flat +
Blade pubescence
glabrous +
Blade shape
cross +, linear +  and narrowly lanceolate +
Blade width
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
Branch architecture
not secund +
Branch fragility
stiff +
Branch quantity
1 +
Branch shape
spikelike +
Callus development
developed +
Callus pubescence
glabrous +
Callus shape
rounded +  and blunt +
Common name
Spike grass +
Culm architecture
branched +
Culm architecture or arrangement or growth form
solitary +
Culm atypical some measurement
35 +
Culm duration
annual +
Culm growth form
procumbent +
Culm growth form or location
floating +
Culm orientation
erect +
Culm pubescence
glabrous +
Culm shape
geniculate +
Culm some measurement
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
Culm texture
not woody +
Distal floret size
reduced +
Embryo quantity
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
Endosperm texture
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
Filament shape
capillary +
Floret architecture
pistillate +  and staminate +
Floret arrangement
adjacent +
Floret atypical quantity
5 +
Floret length or size
sometimes longer +
Floret position or shape
distal +
Floret quantity
12 +  and 25 +
Floret reproduction
sterile +  and bisexual +
Floret shape
compressed +
Floret size
reduced +
Glume architecture
1-5-veined +
Glume architecture or pubescence or relief
smooth +
Glume architecture or shape
awned +
Glume height or length or size
shorter +
Glume length or size
shorter or longer +
Glume position
subtending +
Glume presence
absent +
Glume pubescence
glabrous +
Glume quantity
2 +
Glume size
unequal +  and subequal +
Glume variability
equal +
Hair architecture or shape
capitate +
Hair shape
uncinate +
Hilum arrangement or course or shape
linear +
Hilum coloration or relief
punctate +
Hilum quantity
1/10 +
Hilum shape
Ovate (?) +
Illustration
Present +
Illustration copyright
Utah State University +
Illustrator
Linda Ann Vorobik +  and Hana Pazdírková +
Inflorescence architecture
compound +
Inflorescence position or structure subtype
terminal +
Internode architecture
hollow +
Internode presence
absent +
Keel relief
scabridulous +
Layer presence
absent +
Leaf arrangement
distichous +
Leaf margin arrangement
Overlapping (?) +
Leaf position
cauline +  and basal +
Lemma architecture
5-veined +
Lemma architecture or shape
awned +
Lemma arrangement
adjacent +
Lemma arrangement or shape
elliptic +
Lemma height or length or size
shorter +
Lemma length or size
longer +
Lemma pubescence
puberulent +
Lemma relief
scabridulous +
Lemma shape
keeled +  and cucullate +
Lemma size
subequal +
Lemma some measurement
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
Lemma texture
coriaceous +
Ligule architecture or relief
erose +
Ligule length or size
longer than wide +
Ligule presence
absent +
Ligule shape
acute +
Ligule some measurement
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
Lodicule architecture
veined +
Lodicule architecture or pubescence or shape
ciliate +
Lodicule architecture or shape
truncate +
Lodicule fusion
free +
Lodicule prominence
inconspicuous +
Lodicule quantity
2 +
Lodicule shape
lanceolate +
Lodicule texture
membranous +
Lower glume architecture
3-veined +
Lower glume some measurement
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
Midrib architecture
simple +
Node prominence
concealed +  and prominent +
Number of lower taxa
0 +
Other quantity
2 +  and 1 +
Ovary presence
absent +
Ovary pubescence
glabrous +
Palea architecture
2-veined +
Palea development
well-developed +
Palea presence
absent +
Palea shape
2-keeled +
Palea size
minute +
Panicle shape
spikelike +
Panicle size
reduced +
Papilla presence
absent +
Pedicel fixation or orientation
appressed +
Pedicel some measurement
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Pericarp arrangement
separating +
Pericarp condition or texture
dry +
Pericarp texture
dry +  and fleshy +
Pericarp width
thin +
Pseudopetiole development
not developed +
Pseudopetiole presence
absent +
Rachilla length
not prolonged +
Rachis prominence
evident +
Reference
None +
Row quantity
2 +
Sheath architecture
open +
Sheath condition
closed +
Sheath length
open +
Sheath pubescence
glabrous +
Source xml
https://bibilujan@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-fine-grained-xml.git/src/84153f6d59a0a91d69695978a64cee7560374f8e/V24/V24 965.xml +
Spike architecture
ebracteate +
Spikelet architecture
subsessile +
Spikelet arrangement
crowded +
Spikelet atypical some measurement
22 +
Spikelet fixation
attached +
Spikelet quantity
1 +  and 60 +
Spikelet reproduction
viviparous +
Spikelet shape
ovate +
Spikelet some measurement
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
Stamen quantity
1 +  and 3 +
Starch-grain architecture
simple +  and compound +
Style-branch atypical quantity
4 +  and 1 +
Style-branch quantity
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Style quantity
2 +
Subsidiary-cell architecture
parallel-sided +
Synonyms
Gramineae +
Taxon family
Poaceae +
Taxon name
Desmazeria sicula +
Taxon parent
Desmazeria +
Taxon rank
species +
Terminal floret reproduction
sexual +
Tissue coloration
hyaline +
Tissue texture
membranous +
Upper glume architecture
3-5-veined +
Upper glume some measurement
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Vein arrangement
parallel +  and converging +
Vein presence
absent +
Vein quantity
2 (?) +
Vein size
major +
Volume
Volume 24 +
Whole organism architecture
stoloniferous +  and rhizomatous +
Whole organism arrangement or pubescence
tufted +
Whole organism duration
annual +
Whole organism growth form
plant +
Whole organism growth form or habitat
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
X chromosome quantity
7 +