''Melica brasiliana'', is a grass species in the family

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

that is endemic to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and southern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

Description

The species is

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

with elongated

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

s. Its culms are long. Culm-internodes scaberulous with leaf-sheaths are tubular with one of their length being closed. They are also erect and connate. Its eciliate membrane is long with leaf-blades being lanceolate, stiff, and are long and wide. They also have scabrous margins with apex. The

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

branches are oblong, scaberulous, and are long by wide. Its

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the inflorescences of grasses, sedges and some other monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the sp ...

s are obovate, pendulous, solitary and are long. Fertile spikelets have hairy, pubescent, curved and filiformed

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branch ...

. Florets are diminished with

callus A callus (: calluses) is an area of thickened and sometimes hardened skin that forms as a response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation. Since repeated contact is required, calluses are most often found on the feet and hands, b ...

being pubescent as well. The species have a smooth rachilla. Its lemma have ribbed lateral veins, long hairs and have acute apex. It also has a pilose and scaberulous surface. Fertile lemma is chartaceous, elliptic and is long. Sterile floret is long and is also barren, cuneate, and is clumped. Lower

glume In botany, a glume is a bract (leaf-like structure) below a spikelet in the inflorescence (flower cluster) of grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flow ...

s are obovate and are long while the upper glumes are lanceolate and are long. Both the lower and upper glumes are keelless and chartaceous, but have different apexes. The upper glume apex is obtuse while the lower glumes is acute. They also have purple coloured

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from , and . Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is named after its glassy appearance on fresh gross pathology. On light microscopy of H&E stained slides, the extracellula ...

margins. Palea have ciliolate keels. Flowers are fleshy, oblong, truncate, are growing together and are long. Flowers' 3

anthers The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

are long with 2

lodicule A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the inflorescences of grasses, sedges and some other monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikel ...

s. Fruits are dark brown in colour, ellipsoid, have an additional pericarp and are long with linear hilum.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13932607 brasiliana Endemic flora of Brazil