8. Poaceae Tribe BRYLKINIEAE
扁穗草族 bian sui cao zu
Authors: Zhen-lan Wu & Sylvia M. Phillips
Perennial. Leaf sheaths with connate margins; leaf blades linear, transverse veinlets present; ligule very short, membranous. Inflorescence a lax raceme. Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, 2 sterile empty lemmas below and a rachilla extension above, strongly laterally compressed, falling entire together with the pedicel; glumes unequal, narrowly lanceolate, shorter than lemmas, herbaceous, 3–5-veined, apex acuminate to caudate; lemmas lanceolate, thinly leathery, strongly keeled, 5–7-veined, sterile lemmas acuminate to short-awned, fertile lemma with a straight awn from apex; palea keels closely adjacent. Lodicules 2, free, fairly large, rectangular, hyaline. Stamens 3. Caryopsis narrowly ellipsoid, apex with glossy rounded caplike appendage with central knob from style base, embryo small, hilum linear, slightly shorter than caryopsis. Leaf anatomy: non-Kranz; microhairs absent. x = 10.
One species: China, Japan, E Russia.
This is a unispecific tribe of uncertain affinity, found in cool, temperate forests.
