| Melica ciliata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Pooideae |
| Genus: | Melica |
| Species: | M. ciliata |
| Binomial name | |
| Melica ciliata | |
Melica ciliata, the hairy melic or silky spike melic, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, native to Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia. [1] [2] It has been introduced to South Australia. [2] [3]
The species is a tufted deciduous perennial with elongated rhizomes. It has erect culms which are 50–100 cm (20–39 in) long. The leaf sheaths are tubular and closed; the ligule is an eciliate membrane. The leaf blades are flat, stiff, and 5–15 cm (2.0–5.9 in) long by 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) wide. Their surface is scabrous and glabrous and the tip is attenuate. The panicle is contracted, reaching 20 cm (7.9 in) in length. The spikelets are cuneate with one fertile floret. The florets are on pedicels. [1]
Both the lower and upper glumes lack keels. They are membranous, ovate, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long, and 5-veined. The palea have 2-veined, ciliated keels while the fertile lemma is keelless, lanceolate, with an acute apex and ciliated margins. The lemma is 4.5–5 mm (0.18–0.20 in) long with 7–9 veins. The flowers are fleshy, oblong, truncate, with two lodicules and three anthers. The fruit is a caryopsis. [1]
Melica argyrea is a species of grass found in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Melica amethystina is a grass species in the grass family that can be found in southern Europe.
Melica argentata is a species of grass endemic to Chile.
Melica longiflora is a grass species in the family Poaceae that is endemic to Chile where it can be found from Coquimbo to Talca.
Melica bonariensis is a species of grass endemic to Argentina where it can be found in such provinces as Buenos Aires, La Pampa, and Rio Negro.
Melica violacea, is a species of grass endemic to Chile.
Melica teneriffae, is a grass species in the family Poaceae that is endemic to the Canary Islands.
Melica tibetica, is a grass species in the family Poaceae that is endemic to China and can be found in such provinces as Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Tibetan Autonomous Region.
Melica spartinoides, is a species of grass endemic to Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Melica porteri, known as Porter's melicgrass, is a species of grass that grows in the United States and Mexico. In the US it is found in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Iowa.
Melica serrana, is a species of grass endemic to Cerro de las Ánimas, Uruguay.
Melica stuckertii, is a grass species in the family Poaceae that is endemic to Argentina and southern South America.
Melica dendroides is a grass species in the family Poaceae that is endemic to southern part of Africa.
Melica minor is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is endemic to Caucasus.
Melica paulsenii is a species of grass endemic to Chile where it grows along the coastal cordillera at 50–700 metres (160–2,300 ft) above sea level.
Melica mollis is a species of grass endemic to Chile where it grows in rock crevices at 340 metres (1,120 ft) above sea level.
Melica patagonica is a species of grass that is endemic to South America.
Melica radula is a species of grass endemic to China. It grows on grassy mountain slopes and larch forests at 300–1,200 metres (980–3,940 ft) above sea level.
Melica penicillaris is a species of grass in the Poaceae family. It is endemic to Inner Anatolia, Turkey where it grows on bushy hills, rocky slopes, limestone surfaces, and in gullies at 1,000–1,800 metres (3,300–5,900 ft) above sea level.
Melica rectiflora is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is native to Greece and Crete.