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LAMARCKIA Moench.
Plants hermaphroditic, caespitose, annual. Culms erect or ascending or decumbent, glabrous; internodes hollow, terete. Leaves
cauline, not distinctly distichous; sheaths with compressed keels, margins connate two-thirds their length; auricles absent;
ligules membranous; blades flat, linear, lax. Panicles one-sided, narrow (dense), primary branches spreading
to ascending, with spikelets in clusters of four to eight, lower 3-7 staminate or neuter (sterile), the terminal
spikelet perfect. Sterile spikelets lateral, reduced to two glumes and three to nine lemmas (some with stamens). Fertile
spikelets at branch apex, laterally compressed, disarticulating below the glumes in groups of 4-8, awned, pedicellate;
florets 2, reduced floret at apex, callus glabrous, rachilla not extended beyond upper floret; glumes 2, 1-veined,
equal, longer than first floret, glabrous, awned or awnless; lemmas 4-5-veined, chartaceous, glabrous, apex entire
to lobed, awned, awn dorsal; paleas 2-veined, awnless, glabrous. Stamens 3; anthers yellow. Caryopses adnate to lemma and/or
palea, ovoid to elliptic. Base chromosome number x=7.
A monotypic genus from the Mediterranean and Middle East. This commonly adventive species occurs in
mesic or xeric habitats. It is usually a weed.
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