Chloris (plant)

Chloris is a genus of flowering plants in the Poaceae family. It is native to temperate and tropical regions of the globe.

Description

They are annual or perennial plants, cespitose or stoloniferous; stems stout, glabrous; hermaphrodite plants. keeled pods; ligule a generally ciliolate membrane; linear, flattened or folded sheets. Inflorescence of one or more whorls of unilateral spikes, rarely one spike, the spikelets sessile, appressed or pectinate in two rows on the lower sides of the rachis; spikelets laterally compressed, usually with a bisexual floret and one or two sterile or rarely staminate florets; disarticulation above glumes; glumes subequal or the lower one shorter than the upper one, shorter than the fertile floret, membranaceous, 1-veined, carinate, acute or pointed; lemma fertile membranaceous or cartilaginous, carinate, 3-veined, emarginate or forked, usually ridged from apex or just below apex, marginal veins usually hairy, keel hairy or glabrous; hairy callus; rachilla prolonged above the fertile floret and with rudimentary florets; lodicules, adnate to palea; stamens; styles. Fruit a caryopsis; embryo 1/3–2/3 the length of the caryopsis; dotted thread.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by Peter Olof Swartz and published in Nova Genera et Species Plantarum seu Prodromus 1, 25. 1788. The type species is: Chloris cruciata (L.) sw.

Etymology

The generic name derives from the Greek chloros (green), referring to the leaves; Alternatively, named after Chloris (The Green One), in Greek mythology she is the goddess of flowers.

Cytology

The basic chromosome number of the genus is x = 10, with somatic chromosome numbers of 2n = 14, 20, 26, 30, 36, 40, 72, 80 and 100, since there are diploid species and a polyploid series. Relatively "small" chromosomes.

Species