Allolepis

Plants perennial; dioecious, staminate and pistillate plants similar; stoloniferous. Culms 10-70 cm. Leaves mostly cauline; ligules membranous, ciliate. Inflorescences terminal panicles, exceeding the upper leaves; branches appressed or ascending, usually spikelet-bearing to the base. Spikelets not disarticulating. Pistillate spikelets with 5-10 florets; lower glumes 1-5-veined, only the midveins conspicuous; upper glumes with 3 conspicuous veins, sometimes with 2-4 inconspicuous lateral veins; lemmas 3-5(6)-veined, unawned; paleas shorter than the lemmas, completely surrounding the ovaries, saccate basally, narrowing distally and surrounding the styles, intercostal region coriaceous, veins keeled, scabrous and puberulent, margins scarious. Staminate spikelets with 4-21 florets; lower glumes 1-veined; upper glumes 1-3-veined; lemmas conspicuously 3-veined, unawned; paleas equaling or slightly longer than the lemmas, linear, 2-veined, veins ciliolate. Lodicules 2, cuneate. x = 10.

Distribution

Tex.

Discussion

Allolepis is a monotypic North American genus. It used to be included in Distichlis, but it differs in its paleal morphology, in never producing rhizomes, and in its soil preferences.

Selected References

Soderstrom, T.R. and H.F. Decker. 1965. Allolepis: A new segregate of Disticblis (Gramineae). Madrono 18:33-64.

Lower Taxa

Allolepis texana