''Oplismenus compositus'', the running mountaingrass, is a species of

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

from 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 can be found throughout Asia (Pakistan China), Africa, Australia, South America, Mexico and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Description

The plant is long. The leaves are

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

, ovate, are long and wide. It leaf blades are and have obscure cross veins with an apex which is acuminate or slightly acute. ''O. compositus'' have a

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

which is composed from

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 branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

. It is borne on a side of central axis, is unilateral and is long. The central inflorescence axis long with angular

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the ''rachi ...

and is either glabrous or pilose on the bottom.

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 come in 2 rows which are fertile, pedicelled, and sessile. The pedicels are oblong. The spikelets also have one basal sterile

floret This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

s and one fertile florets while its rhachilla is not extended. They are in length and are

. The

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 ...

is shorter than a spikelet and thinner than fertile lemma. It lower glume is ovate with its awn being in length. The upper glume is also ovate, but unlike the lower, is also herbaceous with glabrous surface which can be pubescent as well. It is also obtuse and is in length. Florets are in length and are pubescent,

emarginate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...

, and

mucronate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...

as well. Both florets and glumes are 1-keeled, but the veins are different; Glumes are 5 while florets are 7–11. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is linear and is in length.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13936837 compositus Grasses of Asia Grasses of Oceania Grasses of North America Grasses of South America Grasses of China Grasses of Mexico Grasses of Pakistan Grasses of the United States Flora of Hawaii Taxa named by Palisot de Beauvois