Interesting Facts
Description
Genus Cleistogenes
Perennial
. Culms
usually tufted
, many-noded. Leaf blades
linear
or linear-lanceolate, often inrolled
when dry, lower blades usually disarticulating
from the sheaths
; ligule a line
of hairs
, sometimes on a very short membranous base
. Inflorescence of often few-spiculate lax
racemes
spaced along a central axis, or a sparsely branched panicle, spikelets
distant
or loosely imbricate, shortly pedicellate
; axillary
cleistogamous
spikelets also present concealed within the upper leaf sheaths. Spikelets laterally compressed
, florets
1 to several, loosely spaced, rachilla slender, disarticulating above glumes
and between florets, rachilla internodes pubescent
at apex; glumes membranous, very unequal with the lower shorter, 1-5(-7) -veined; lemmas narrowly lanceolate to ovate
, 3-5(-7) -veined, keeled
, usually pubescent near margins
, apex narrow, bidenticulate or rarely entire, acute, mucronate
or shortly awned
; palea keels glabrous
or ciliolate
. Floret callus shortly bearded
. Anthers
3, linear.
About 13 species: S Europe and Turkey eastward through C Asia, Pakistan, and NW India to Japan, concentrated in NE China; ten species (five endemic) in China.
A large proportion of the species comprises plants
of semi-arid regions, where they provide useful fodder
. The genus is remarkable for the regular formation of cleistogamous spikelets in the axils of the upper leaf sheaths that ensure the production
of seed even under unfavorable climatic conditions. These cleistogamous spikelets generally have fewer florets, smaller, hyaline
glumes, and narrower lemmas with longer
awns
than the chasmogamous
spikelets.
The glumes are very variable even in the terminal
, exserted inflorescences. Those of the lower spikelets, near the inflorescence base, tend to be smaller and fewer nerved than those above. Spikelets near the top of the inflorescence should be inspected. Awn measurements should be taken on the lowest floret of a spikelet near the top.[1]
Taxonomy
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Plants
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Vascular Plants
- Class:
Spermatopsida
()
- Order:
Poales
()
- Genus:
Cleistogenes
()
- Rosebud Orchid
- Specific epithet:
gracilis
- Keng f.
- Botanical name: - Cleistogenes gracilis Keng f.
- Specific epithet:
gracilis
- Keng f.
- Genus:
Cleistogenes
(
- Order:
Poales
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
Similar Species
Members of the genus Cleistogenes
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 0 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
Notes
Contributors
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 8383494
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15751761
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:396409-1
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 3625276
Footnotes
- Shou-liang Chen & Sylvia M. Phillips "Cleistogenes". in Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 1, 457, 460. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
