Melica minuta

Melica minuta

''Melica minuta'' is a species of grass that can be found in the Mediterranean Basin, from Portugal and Morocco to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Melica minuta Cabo de San Antonio, Javea, Alicante.  Geotagged,Melica minuta,Spain,Spring

Appearance

The species is perennial and have 20–50 centimetres long culms. Both the leaf-sheaths and the leaf-blades have glabrous surface. The other features are different though; Leaf-sheaths are tubular and are closed on one end while leaf-blades are 1–2 millimetres wide and are hairy as well. The eciliated margin have a ligule that is 3.5 millimetres long. The panicle is linear, open, nodding, and is 3–12 centimetres long with the main branches of the panicle are spread out. They carry 7–30 fertile spikelets.

Spikelets are oblong, solitary, are 7–9 millimetres long and are pediceled. They also have 2 fertile florets which are diminished at the apex. The sterile florets are also present in a number of 2-3, and are barren, cuneate, and clumped. Both the upper and lower glumes are keelless, membranous, oblong and have acute apexes. Their size is different though; Lower glume is 5–7 millimetres long, while the upper one is 6.5–8 millimetres long.

Its lemma have scaberulous surface with the fertile lemma being chartaceous, keelless, oblong, ovate and of the same size as the upper glume. Lemma have an acute apex, with palea being 2-veined. Flowers are fleshy, oblong and truncate. They also grow together, have 2 lodicules and 3 anthers. The fruits have caryopsis, are 2.5–3 millimetres long with additional pericarp and linear hilum.

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassMonocots
OrderPoales
FamilyPoaceae
GenusMelica
SpeciesM. minuta
Photographed in
Spain
Israel