Luziola

Luziola is a genus of herbaceous plants belonging to the Poaceae family. It is native to southern North America to tropical South America.

Description

Monoecious, aquatic or malarial perennials. membranaceous ligule; linear sheets. Inflorescences unisexual (Mesoamerica), axillary, the pistillate panicles or pairs of conjugate racemes, the staminate terminal panicles or solitary racemes, rarely the pistillate and staminate spikelets in the same inflorescence. Spikelets unisexual, with 1 floret, without awns; glumes reduced to a minute dome; disarticulation above the dome. Staminate spikelets with the lemma and palea the same, membranaceous; stamens 6-8. Pistillate spikelets with the lemma and palea the same, membranaceous, prominently multiveined; styles and stigmas 2; fruit a hardened achene, ovoid or spherical.

Etymology

Genus name modified from Luzula which belongs to the family Juncaceae.

Species

• Luziola alabamensis Chapm.
• Lightiola dropspitous Swallen
• Luziola divergens Swallen
• Lightiola gracillima Prodoehl
• Lightiola pusilla S.Moore