Micropyropsis Zarco & Cabezudo
From the Greek opsis (appearance) and Micropyrum (a related grass genus), alluding to similarity.
Habit, vegetative morphology. Perennial. Culms 30–110 cm high; herbaceous; unbranched above; tuberous. Culm nodes glabrous. Leaves not basally aggregated. Sheath margins free. Leaf blades linear; narrow; 1–5 mm wide (10–25 cm long); without cross venation; persistent; an unfringed membrane.
Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual, with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphrodite florets.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence a single raceme (spikelike). Rachides hollowed (to receive the spikelets). Inflorescence espatheate; not comprising ‘partial inflorescences’ and foliar organs. Spikelet-bearing axes persistent. Spikelets solitary; not secund; distichous (seemingly); subsessile to pedicellate (the pedicels about 0.5 mm long); not imbricate.
Female-fertile spikelets. Spikelets 10–26 mm long; adaxial; compressed laterally; disarticulating above the glumes; disarticulating between the florets. Rachilla prolonged beyond the uppermost female-fertile floret; hairless; the rachilla extension with incomplete florets. Hairy callus absent. Callus short; blunt (glabrous).
Glumes two; very unequal; shorter than the spikelets; shorter than the adjacent lemmas; dorsiventral to the rachis; hairless; not subulate; awnless; similar. Lower glume 1 nerved. Upper glume 3 nerved. Spikelets with incomplete florets. The incomplete florets distal to the female-fertile florets. The distal incomplete florets merely underdeveloped. Spikelets without proximal incomplete florets.
Female-fertile florets 3–13. Lemmas not becoming indurated; entire; pointed; awned. Awns 1; median; dorsal; from near the top; non-geniculate; hairless; much shorter than the body of the lemma to about as long as the body of the lemma (2–6 mm long, slender). Lemmas hairless; glabrous; non-carinate (dorsally rounded); 5 nerved. Palea present; relatively long; entire to apically notched; awnless, without apical setae; not indurated; 2-nerved; 2-keeled. Lodicules present; 2; free; membranous; glabrous; toothed (bilobed). Stamens 3. Anthers 3 mm long. Ovary glabrous; without a conspicuous apical appendage. Styles free to their bases. Stigmas 2.
Fruit, embryo and seedling. Fruit adhering to lemma and/or palea; small to medium sized (about 4 mm long).
Transverse section of leaf blade, physiology. Leaf blade with distinct, prominent adaxial ribs; with the ribs more or less constant in size. Midrib not readily distinguishable; with one bundle only. Combined sclerenchyma girders present; forming ‘figures’. Sclerenchyma all associated with vascular bundles.
Taxonomy. Pooideae; Poodae; Poeae.
Distribution, ecology, phytogeography. 1 species; Spain. In damp sands.
Holarctic. Tethyan. Mediterranean.
References, etc. Morphological/taxonomic: Zarco and Cabezudo 1983.
Special comments. Fruit data wanting. Anatomical data wanting.
Cite this publication as: Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M. J. (1992 onwards). ‘Grass Genera of the World: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval; including Synonyms, Morphology, Anatomy, Physiology, Phytochemistry, Cytology, Classification, Pathogens, World and Local Distribution, and References.’ http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/. Version: 18th August 1999. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1998), and Watson and Dallwitz (1994), and Watson, Dallwitz, and Johnston (1986) should also be cited (see References).