Hainardia cylindrica

Hainardia is a monotypic genus of herbaceous plants belonging to the Poaceae family. Its only species: Hainardia cylindrica (Willd.) Greuter, is native to the Mediterranean extending to Iraq and also South America.

Description

It is an annual plant with stems up to 60 cm tall, erect or ascending, glabrous. Leaves with 0.4-0.8 mm ligule, glabrous; blade up to 20 cm x 4 mm, with scabrous veins on the upper side. Spike up to 22 cm, straight, with a thick axis and up to 45 spikelets. Glume 5-8.5 mm, with well marked veins, narrow scarious margin and a transverse groove at the base. Lemma 4.2-6 mm, shorter than the glume, with short and slightly marked lateral veins. Palea as long or somewhat longer than the lemma. Anthers 1.8-2.1 mm. It flowers and bears fruit from May to June.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by Carlos Linnaeus and published in Boissiera. Memoires du Conservatoire de Botanique et de l'Institut de Botanique Systématique de l'Université de Genève 13: 178. 1967.

Etymology

The genus was named after P.Hainardi, a plant geographer and Greuter's colleague.

cylindrica: Latin epithet meaning "cylindrical".

Cytology

Number of the chromosome base, x = 13. 2n = 26 and 52. 2 and 4 ploid. "Large" chromosomes.

Sinonimia

• List of synonyms of cylindrical Hainardia