Desmazeria sicula

Illustrator: Hana Pazdírková, Linda Ann Vorobik

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.