RLEM 610 grass taxonomy leersia

LEERSIA Soland. Cutgrass Plants hermaphroditic, caespitose or rhizomatous or stoloniferous, perennial. Culms erect or ascending or geniculate or decumbent, glabrous to hispid; internodes hollow or solid, terete. Leaves cauline, not distinctly distichous; sheaths terete, margins open; auricles absent; ligules membranous; blades flat or folded or involute (scabrous to hispid), linear, stiff, apex acuminate. Panicles with primary branches spreading or ascending, open or contracted. Spikelets solitary, laterally compressed, disarticulation at the spikelet base, awnless, sessile or pedicellate; florets 1, reduced floret absent, callus glabrous; rachilla not extended beyond floret; glumes absent (0); lemmas 5-veined, membranous to chartaceous, hairy-hispid, apex entire (strongly keeled), awnless; paleas 3-veined, awnless, frequently ciliate. Stamens 1 or 2 or 3 or 6; anthers yellow. Caryopses ovate, laterally compressed, yellow. Base chromosome number x=6. A tropical or warm temperate genus of about 18 species. Most of the taxa are obligate wetland plants.