Polypogon

Belongs within: Pooideae.

Polypogon, beard grasses, is a genus of grasses bearing dense, oblong to ovoid panicle-like inflorescences (Hickman 1993).

Characters (Hickman 1993): Annual or perennial. Stems decumbent to erect, simple. Leaf sheath open, loosely enclosing stem, glabrous; ligule thinly membranous, more or less ovate to oblong, obtuse to truncate, minutely ciliate to toothed; blades more or less cauline, flat, scabrous, veins minutely prickly at 10×. Inflorescence panicle-like, oblong to narrowly ovoid in outline, interrupted to compact, dense. Spikelets breaking below glumes and part of stalk, falling as one unit; glumes more or less equal, one-veined, entire or two-lobed, awned at tip or between lobes, awn straight; floret 1; lemma more or less 0.5× glumes, translucent, five-veined, tip toothed, awn shorter than glume awn or absent; palea slightly shorter than lemma, transparent; anthers tightly enclosed by lemma and palea. Fruit oblong, smooth, enclosed by lemma, palea.

<==Polypogon
    |--P. australis Brongn. 1829H93, S06
    |--P. elongatusS06
    |--P. fugaxGR98
    |--P. interruptus [=P. litoralis var. interruptus; incl. P. affinis]S06
    |    |--P. i. var. interruptusS06
    |    `--P. i. var. crinitus (Trin.) Hackel in Stuckert 1906 [=P. crinitus Trin. 1824, P. litoralis var. crinitus]S06
    |--P. littoralisB78
    |--P. maritimus Willdenow 1801PL04 [incl. P. simplexB78, Muehlenbergia simplexB78, Trichochloa simplexB78]
    |--P. monspeliensis [=Alopecurus monspeliensis; incl. Phleum crinitum]G52
    |    |--P. m. f. monspeliensisS06
    |    `--P. m. f. argentinaS06
    |--P. subspathaceusPT98
    |--P. tenellus Br. 1810G52
    |    |--P. t. var. tenellusB78
    |    |--P. t. var. drummondiiB78
    |    `--P. t. var. oldfieldiiB78
    `--P. viridisAGF98

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[AGF98] Abd El-Ghani, M. M., & A. G. Fahmy. 1998. Composition of and changes in the spontaneous flora of Feiran Oasis, S Sinai, Egypt, in the last 60 years. Willdenowia 28: 123–134.

[B78] Bentham, G. 1878. Flora Australiensis: A description of the plants of the Australian Territory vol. 7. Roxburghiaceae to Filices. L. Reeve & Co.: London.

[G52] Gardner, C. A. 1952. Flora of Western Australia vol. 1 pt 1. Gramineae. William H. Wyatt: Perth.

[GR98] Greuter, W., & T. Raus (eds.) 1998. Med-Checklist Notulae, 17. Willdenowia 28: 163–174.

[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).

[PT98] Panitsa, M., & D. Tzanoudakis. 1998. Contribution to the study of the Greek flora: flora and vegetation of the E Aegean islands Agathonisi and Pharmakonisi. Willdenowia 28: 95–116.

[PL04] Pohl, G., & I. Lenski. 2004. Zur Verbreitung und Vergesellschaftung von Pennisetum orientale Rich. in Nordeuböa (Griechenland) (Poaceae, Paniceae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 83 (2): 209–223.

[S06] Stuckert, T. 1906. Segunda contribución al conocimiento de las gramináceas Argentinas. Anales del Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires, serie 3, 6: 409–555.