Dryopoa

Dryopoa Contr. New South Wales Natl Herb. 3: 195 (1963).

Derivation:. From dryos (tree) and poa (grass), alluding to the robust nature of the grass.

Key references (keys and floras):. B.K.Simon, Key to Australian Grasses 104 (1993); S.W.L.Jacobs and S.M.Hastings, Flora of New South Wales 4: 619 (1993); N.G. Walsh, Flora of Victoria 2: 402–403 (1994); D.I.Morris, Student's Flora of Tasmania 4B: 199 (1994); D.Sharp and B.K.Simon, AusGrass (2002); S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Whalley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South Wales, 4th Ed, 224 (2008); A.Wilson (ed.), Flora of Australia 44A: Poaceae 2: 299–300 (2009)

W.D.Clayton & S.A.Renvoize, Genera Graminum (1986), genus (106).

Native. 1 species, from Australia. NSW, Vic, and Tas.

Habit. Perennial, tufted. Leaf blades broad to narrow. Ligule an unfringed membrane.

Inflorescence. Inflorescence paniculate.

Spikelets. Spikelets laterally compressed, long pedicelled; with naked rachilla extension. Fertile spikelets broadly elliptic, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes.

Glumes. Glumes more or less equal, shorter than spikelet, shorter than adjacent lemmas to long relative to adjacent lemmas, hairless, pointed, awnless, keeled (the keels scabrid), similar (membranous). Lower glume (1–)3 nerved. Upper glume 3(–5) nerved.

Florets. Fertile florets 3–5(–6). Lemmas narrowly elliptic, decidedly firmer than glumes (thinly cartilaginous), entire at apex or incised, pointed, muticous to awned, without a germination flap, 5(–7) nerved (the nerves raised and scaberulous), with nerves non-confluent. Awns when present, 1, from a sinus (subapically) or dorsal, non-geniculate, straight, hairless (scabrous), much shorter than body of lemma (to 2 mm long). Awn bases not twisted, not flattened. Palea relatively long (slightly exceeding the lemma), tightly clasped by lemma, entire (and pointed, but easily splitting), textured like lemma, 1 nerved (ciliolate) or 2 nerved, 2 keeled. Palea keels wingless, minutely, densely hairy. Distal incomplete florets 1, underdeveloped (rudimentary). Callus short, blunt. Lodicules 2. Ovary hairy (the hairs apical, minute, stiff). Stamens 3. Stigmas 2. Grain small (about 2.5 mm long), brown, green beneath the pericarp, obovoid, longitudinally grooved to not grooved (sometimes with a shallow depression), slightly compressed dorsiventrally (ventrally), hairy (hispid), with hairs confined to a terminal tuft. Hilum short to long-linear (0.5–0.8 mm long, narrowly elliptical). Embryo small. Endosperm hard.

Kranz Anatomy. C3.

Classification. Pooideae; Poeae.

Notes. Dryopoa is doubtfully worth separating from Festuca (Clayton and Renvoize, 1986).

Types Species. D. dives (F.Muell.) Vickery.

Biogeographic Element. Clifford & Simon 1981, Simon & Jacobs 1990: Endemic.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith