Schaffnerella gracilis

Schaffnerella is a monotypic genus of herbaceous plants in the Poaceae family. Its only species, Schaffnerella gracilis, is native to Mexico.

Description

They are annual plants; tufted with canes 6-12 cm tall; herbaceous Culm nodes glabrous. Leaves mostly basal; not auriculate; without ear hairs. Margins of the sheath free (hyaline at the edges). blade narrow; about 0.2-1 mm wide; laminated (convolute); without abaxial multicellular glands; no venation (but numerous and visible under transmission microscope). The ligule is a ciliated membrane; not truncated (irregular rounded); 0.5-1 mm long. Contra-ligulae absent. They are bisexual plants, with bisexual spikelets; with hermaphroditic florets. Spikelets of sexually distinct shapes on the same plant (final branch of cymous fascicle with a sterile spikelet), or all sexually alike (?); hermaphrodite, or hermaphrodite and sterile (?).

Taxonomy

Schaffnerella gracilis was described by (Benth.) Nash and published in North American Flora 17(2): 141. 1912.

Etymology

The generic name was given in honor of J.G.Schaffner, collector of the type species.

gracilis: Latin epithet meaning "thin, slender"

Sinonimia

• Schaffnera gracilis Benth.
• Muhlenbergia columbi P.M.Peterson
• Muhlenbergia spatha Columbus