Polytrias amaura

Illustrator: Linda A. Vorobik, Hana Pazdírková

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants highly stoloniferous. Culms 10-40 cm, decumbent, rooting at the lower nodes, erect portions 10-20 cm; nodes pubescent; internodes glabrous. Leaves cauline, often purplish; sheaths keeled, pubescent basally and sometimes sparsely so distally, margins ciliate; ligules 0.2-0.5 mm, truncate; blades 0.5-7 cm long, 1-7 mm wide, flat, pubescent. Rames 2-3 cm; internodes 2-3 mm, flat, ciliate on the edges and distally. Sessile spikelets 3-4 mm, ovate, pilose, brown or yellow-brown; calluses blunt; glumes concealing the floret; lower glumes 2-3 mm; lemmas about 1 mm; awns 4-12 mm, exserted, geniculate, twisted below the bend, brown. Pedicels 4-4.5 mm, slender, free of the rame axes. Pedicellate spikelets similar to the sessile spikelets or somewhat smaller, sometimes staminate. Caryopses 1.5-1.8 mm. 2n = 20.

Discussion

Polytrias amaura is native to southeastern Asia. It used as a lawn grass in tropical and subtropical regions, including Florida. It gives a purplish cast to a lawn.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.